Muscat - Dr Mohamed Bin Ahmed Al Habsi, Assistant Dean for Oman College for Tourism stressed the need for a proper strategy for using tourist resources in the Sultanate. “Oman tourism potentials are still untapped,” he said. According to him, it is vital that tourist experiences and the impact of application of tourism investment on the community be studied.

Today, Oman is one of the fastest growing economies in the Gulf thanks to focused government planning, responsible expenditure as well as investment in the non-oil sector. Oman 2020, the visionary econ-omic diversification plan, will gradually reduce the country's dependence on oil. In line with this objective, further investments will be funnelled into Oman's rapidly developing tourism and real estate sectors. As result, the real GDP is expected to grow by 6.8 per cent in 2008.

Oman among 10 best world destinations

MUSCAT — Yet again, Oman was chosen among the 10 best world tourist destinations for 2008 by concierge.com, the online destination for inspired travel website of Condé Nast Traveler, one of the world's prestigious and most respected, widely-read travel publication. Peter J Frank, Editor-in-Chief of Concierge.com said, "Many of the destinations on this year's list have undergone a transformation". Usama bin Karim al Haremi, Head of Corporate Communications and Media, Oman Air, said as per concierge.com press statement, the destinations on their annual list of the top 10 are based on factors such as new crop of hotels, protected natural appeal, and with enough substance to make a journey worthwhile. These places, he added, coupled with new discoveries like Oman and Hainan Island, make for a great mix.