During this time, Oman will transition away from oil to natural gas, of which its has reserves of over 22 trillion cubic feet, and to tourism, the magazine said. Along with a vast business free zone in the south in Salalah, Oman may become more and more of a hub for freight distribution in the Gulf region and the Indian Ocean Rim, Lofthouse noted. Exceeding a throughput of one million containers in less than two years of operation, the project is a shining example of how public-private projects can succeed. A 20-year plan stretches into the future and the port is merely the stage in the creation of a massive logistics and transshipment hub pointing west to Africa, east to India and further afields to shipping routes to Europe and Asia, the article said. Confirmed natural gas reserves amount to 22 trillion cubic feet, but new discoveries will probably push that towards 30-35 trillion cubic feet, the magazine said.
Oman has a small but dynamic tourism industry established in a very small timeframe.
The widespread consensus is that tourism in Oman should be encouraged but only carefully, Lofthouse said. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact our syndication department.