Muscat was awarded Arab Tourism Capital in late 2011 by the Arab League’s Tourism Ministers. The award recognizes the progress being made in Oman’s tourism sector and especially Muscat’s as Oman’s capital and gateway. In particular:
• Oman is implementing a national tourism brand campaign that highlights Oman and Muscat’s tourism attributes. These activities include Oman’s first global awareness campaign running on BBC Worldwide television and web sites.
• Muscat is emerging as a regional gateway through Oman Air’s international transformation with a growing network of non-stop services from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, India and South East Asia.
• Muscat’s is making rapid progress in positioning as a gateway and feature port for cruise shipping in the Arabian Gulf.
• A wide range of new developments taking place in Muscat such as the Royal Opera House Muscat and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre will boost Oman’s regional and international competitiveness as a tourism destination.
The Muscat 2012 Brand Mark was launched on 21 January 2012 at a gala event at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel attended by the Arab League’s Tourism Ministers. The Brand Mark was a stand-out entry in a hotly contested brand competition, with the winner being Mona Al Ma'ashanifrom Taqah, Dhofar. Using colours from the Oman Brand Mark palette for culture and heritage, design elements include Muscat in Arabic calligraphy that outline iconic buildings, the cornice and an Arabic coffee pot (dallas) to convey hospitality.
The Muscat 2012 calendar of events will be available on www.muscat2012.om
Under the Muscat 2012 Brand, the Ministry of Tourism, Oman Air and Oman’s resorts and hotels will launch an Oman Stopover Campaign from 1 February. This allows stop overs in Muscat\Oman for up to 3 nights for all classes of travel on Oman Air’s international network, with participating resorts and hotels offering 1 free night in Oman. This is the first stopover campaign for Oman.
The Ministry of Tourism is delighted to sponsor Muscat 2012 in SATT, and for its Skipper and crew to become Muscat 2012 ambassadors. SATT sets a unique platform for travel and tourism trade promotions in key ports to promote awareness about Muscat 2012
