Oman just simply lends itself for adventure and active
tourism. One can work on positioning the country as anything more than that but one
thing for sure, Oman is just the best place to put your tracking boots at
work, pull on your main sail, or try out your latest nature photography gear. And why not show your current and future customers what your new 4x4 model is capable of doing.
Being fairly accessible from two major car markets of the region
UAE and Saudi and offering a nice mix for a a fun 2-day getaway, I think any of
the major off road manufacturer could hugely benefit from setting
up a high quality 4x4 fun part somewhere outside of Muscat.
Izuzu has such a great 4x4 park in Pattaya, Thailand and besides being a state of the art test track offers great attraction for tourism and local alike.
Why Oman:
- It is perceived (and it is) as the best off road destination in GCC
- Proximity to major 4xa and awd car markets
- So many perfect sites for such a park in proximity of Muscat
Advantages:
- Great complementary offering for the tourism attractions of the country
- Bodes well with the incentive tourism destination image (especially with the efforts of the ministry to promote Oman as a conference and incentive tourism destination)
- Local population love off road cars and driving, there would be a solid local demand to sustain the facility
- A major marketing boost for the brand(s) that will take the initiative and implement the idea
- Perfect opportunity for job creation (driving instructors, maintenance and admin people, booking and back office people)
So, Toyota-Lexus, Nissan-Infinity, Mitsubisi-Jeep, or Land
Rover who is going to take the first call. I think is fair to assume that the tourism authorities would be gland to hear about such an initiative.
Just reading now that Suhail Bahwan Group, one of the leading car dealers in Oman, has established a 4x4 Adventure Park in collaboration with Oman Automobile Association. have not seen the place and the article does not mention where they are located, but hopefully it got inspired by best practices.
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