To support the sister State of Qatar’s efforts, Sultanate of Oman announces its program for Qatar 2022 World Cup

Ashraf AboArafe

Yesterday morning, a press conference was held to announce the Sultanate of Oman’s program accompanying the Qatar World Cup 2022, at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the preparations of the Sultanate of Oman were revealed through a joint program to interact with the sister State of Qatar and support its efforts to host the 2022 World Cup Qatar, which is managed The program is by a joint working team headed by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and includes several governmental and private agencies, namely the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Royal Oman Police and the Oman Investment Authority represented by the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran Group), Oman Air and Oman Airports Company, in addition to a number of institutions supporting the program.

The press conference was chaired by Azzan bin Qassim Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for Tourism and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the management of the program, with the participation of representatives of the organizing bodies members of the committee, and with the official participation of the State of Qatar represented by Khaled Al Mawlawi, Deputy Director General for Marketing, Communication and Championship Experience at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Saeed Al-Kuwari, CEO of Haya (the official platform for managing the Qatar 2022 World Cup fan card).

 * Special visa for World Cup fans

Then Lt. Colonel Ahmed bin Saeed Al Ghafri, Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the General Directorate of Passports and Civil Status, representative of the Royal Oman Police, at the conference reviewed the advantages of the exceptional World Cup fan visa (Haya Card holders) to enter the Sultanate of Oman, which is that it is a free multi-trip visa, enhanced with the feature of extraction upon arrival. And a validity period of up to 60 days, and the Haya card holder is allowed to accompany his first-class family to enjoy residency in the Sultanate of Oman.

 * Air bridge

Dr. Khalid bin Abdulwahab Al Balushi, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Oman Air, spoke about the daily flights program for air World Cup fans between Doha and Muscat, noting that Oman Air will operate several flights between Muscat and Doha during the World Cup matches from November 20 to December 3, 2022 AD. It highlights the importance of this global event, as fans will be able to book one-day flights directly through the Oman Air website. At prices starting from 99 Omani riyals for economy class and 305 Omani riyals for business class, and to encourage citizens, special prices have been provided for them starting from 49 Omani riyals for class Economy class and 155 OMR for business class.

* Fast tracks

The representative of Oman Airports Company, “Saud bin Nasser Al-Hubaishi,” commissioned chief of operations, spoke about the plan of preparations at Muscat International Airport to facilitate the movement of fans at Muscat Airport in special lanes for both departure and arrival flights, by specifying dedicated gates for aircraft carrying World Cup fans, as well as Existing preparations with partners to secure a specific transportation plan to accommodate the influx of fans to and from the airport, according to dedicated bus stops.

* Public events

The representative of Omran Group revealed the accompanying events and activities, most notably the establishment of a festival for World Cup fans in the garden of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center on an area of ​​more than 9,000 square meters, with the aim of providing a festive atmosphere for the 2022 World Cup for fans coming to the Sultanate of Oman to attend the World Cup and fans from within the Sultanate of Oman. The festival will provide a variety of activities during the World Cup period.

* Promotional campaigns

It was noted that the joint program includes exceptional promotional campaigns in conjunction with the 2022 World Cup through the implementation of two marketing and promotion plans for the advantages and tourism components of the Sultanate of Oman. Tourism, before, during and after the start of the World Cup and lasts for a year, where target markets have been identified to launch campaigns in cooperation with partners according to specific methodologies through internal and external trading partners.