OAG Travel News

There are good business opportunities in the thriving capital of Oman, where meetings are conducted at a cautious pace rather than a canter. Jonathan Hart reports

Small is beautiful is a phrase rarely applied in the Gulf region. After all, this is a region where big or world's biggest are commonly viewed as best. A place with wealth and potential, an expansive future within its grasp.

The same goes for the region's airports. Think of them and you might imagine virtual overnight construction of large, new or vastly expanded showpiece gateways to flourishing economies. Think Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi or even Muscat and you'd be right. Think Bahrain International Airport and you probably wouldn't.
It's not that the financial capital of the region doesn't have grand designs like its neighbours, merely that it appears to be in less of a hurry to expand an airport that some still regard as worthy of the small is beautiful tag: crowded but reasonably easy and quick to get through and with unusually personable immigration officials.

Trouble is, many increasingly crushed travellers don't view it thus, seeing 2015 as a long time to wait and US$300 million too little to spend for the phased-in expansion currently underway. Frequent user John Sanders, a locally based corporate education consultant, is one of these. "Considering that all the major new business developments in Bahrain, like the Financial Harbour complex, will be completed by Saying a quick hello is clearly not the form in Muscat. At least not for locals. Greetings instead seem to be as long and drawn out as they are effusive, involving much chat and waving of arms, oblivious to the world hurrying by.

Well, not exactly hurrying because that doesn't seem to be the form, either. The capital of Oman is decidedly slower paced than other Gulf cities, as is the sultanate itself. And all the more amenable as a result.

As a joined up string of old communities, backed by mountains and with both an historically preserved and fashionably modern face, Muscat is at once visually attractive and its people effortlessly affable, even laid-back. A city born of seafaring traditions and a headland haven to the predominantly low-rise and low-key.

All of which can mean curbing any heightened sense of urgency when doing business here. Rather of taking your time and being forgiving of the general lack of punctuality and interruptions by the cell phones that are as all pervasive as the latest designer accoutrements worn with the men's white dish-dash and women's black niqab.

No question, there's a wealth of business potential on the cards as Oman diversifies from oil and embraces the hi-tech and private sectors, offering excellent tax and fund repatriation incentives in the process. But the pace appears to be more cautious and controlled than elsewhere in the region; an Economic Vision for 2020 has long been set in stone and strictly adhered to in the staged development of agriculture, fisheries, tourism, public utilities, mining and manufacturing.

No hurry, perhaps, due to the pumping of up to a million barrels of oil a day and vast gas reserves, providing one of the world's highest GDPs and a comfortable cushion against any need for urgency.

No hurry, certainly, along the broad highways, with seemingly every car a late model Toyota or along the Corniche at Mutrah, where cafes line the waterfront and older folk sit, smoke and play dominoes. Or within the old walled port of Muscat, guarded by the twin fortresses of Mirani and Jalali perched on rocky outcrops.

A general mood of calm and serenity seems to emanate from the exterior of the Grand Mosque, a study of hushed arcades, white stone and marble in quiet good taste.

A buzz, of sorts, can be found in the modern commercial district of Ruwi, in the bars and restaurants of the main business hotels, meeting place for expats, and in the souks, where frankincense, jewellery and better-than-average souvenirs are traded. But all is calm, clean and inestimably polite. All is amenable.

Even during negotiations with taxi drivers who, despite the recent imposition of meters, may still try and pull a fast one, particularly on your 30-minute ride to or from Seeb International Airport.


Fast facts
Currency: Omani Rial (OR) (€1=OR0.59/OR1=€1.69)
Tipping:  although larger hotels and the better restaurants include service, tipping is becoming more widespread
Time: GMT + 4
Public holidays 2008: July 23; October 1*; November 25, 26; December 9, 10, 24, 27; 2009: January 1; March 9                   
* end of Ramadan
Climate:  although located in the tropics, the country is subject to seasonal changes; best time to visit is between October and March, when daytime temperatures are in the 80soF; between June and August they can regularly exceed 110oF. Rainfall tends to be sparse and irregular, although there is generally around 4 inches a year in the capital, falling mainly between November and March
Airport: Seeb International (MCT), 40km ( 25 miles) west of Old Muscat and 15km from the main residential localities; choice of buses, microbuses and metered taxis, the latter charging around OR6 (€14); a rental car is also an option; larger hotels operate their own shuttle services
Hotels: Novotel Seeb Airport, Golden Tulip Seeb
Business hours:   generally 08.00-13.00 and 15.30-18.30 (with a two-hour lunch break), Saturday to Thursday; and from 07.30-14.30 Saturday to Wednesday for government offices
International dialling code: 00  968
In emergency: 999 (also 560099 for the police)

business do’s and don’ts
Do be prompt for appointments – punctuality is appreciated
Do take a good supply of business cards
Do allow plenty of time between meetings – two to three hours to be on the safe side
Do remember that Friday is the Muslim holy day and that working hours tend to be shorter during Ramadan
Don't dress too casually because of the heat
Don't be surprised if meetings take time to get going – social preliminaries are important
Don't refuse refreshments if offered as it is seen as a discourtesy
Don't drink to excess – there are severe penalties for drunkenness in public