From Times of Oman: Oman looks at golf to boost economy and employment

MUSCAT: The new golf course opened last week at the Wave Muscat is all set to boost Oman’s ambitions to lure in more tourists into the country and expand its economy to create more employment.

The AlMouj Golf Course – designed by the Australian golfing legend Greg Norman – currently has 9-hole facilities but officials say it is expected to be upgraded to 18-holes in April.

“I believe that we have a competitive advantage in golf compared to other Gulf countries. Oman is backed with facilities and people to support the hosting of international golf tournaments,” St John Kelliher, Almouj Golf’s general manager, told Times of Oman.

Oman attracted more than a million tourists in 2010, 12 per cent more than a year earlier, according to the tourism ministry’s statistics. Most of the tourists in Oman come from Europe, Japan and GCC countries but travellers from the US, too, now find the Sultanate as an attractive destination.

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