Published on : Tuesday, March 12, 2019
H E Ahmed bin Nasser bin Hamad al Mehrzi, Minister of Tourism, received the award in a ceremony organized at the event. It is being viewed as recognition of the sultanate as one of the most favored heritage tourist destinations in the world.
With numerous historical and civilisational architectural marvels, these destinations draw visitors worldwide.
The PATWA award is given once a year for the world’s best heritage tourism destinations. It’s an appreciation of heritage and its role as a cultural tourism product.
H E Mehrzi praised Oman’s success and explained that this award also recognizes the efforts made by the sultanate to endorse cultural tourism.
Also, this achievement is kind of a result of the efforts made for transforming fortress of the sultanate into tourist spots. These forts were renovated and prepared fully to welcome tourists. Sagar Ahluwalia, secretary general of PATWA, stated that Oman was one of the most significant countries of the world with several heritage and cultural landmarks. Its heritage sites were well prepared to draw visitors world over.
To quote Ahluwalia, “the efforts made by the sultanate, through its ministries of Tourism and Heritage and Culture to present its historical and civilisational sites as tourism products have been exemplary. The diversity of natural beauty of Oman and its environment, including sand dunes, deserts, mountains and its serene beaches add value to its heritage tourism.”
Oman, with over 500 forts is one of the most significant countries related to historical and cultural wealth. Few of its historical and cultural monuments have got listed by the UNESCO. PATWA is an organization of travel writers founded in 1998, at the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka.