Gulf Construction Online

Oman

The Salalah beach masterplan.

Tourist haven

01 February 2009

Two integrated tourism complexes at Jebel Sifah and Salalah Beach – which have the distinctive branding and flavour of the sultanate – have made remarkable headway since they were launched on the market a little over a year ago.

Spearheading these developments is Muriya Tourism Development Company (MTDC), a joint venture between Oman’s Ministry of Tourism and Egypt’s Orascom Development Holding (ODH), which is also developing two other projects – a boutique hotel on Al Sodah Island and a city complex in Muscat.
“Over the past few years, the Sultanate of Oman has steadily emerged as a tourist destination capitalising on its overwhelming natural beauty,” says Cyril Piaia, chief executive officer of Muriya.
Muriya’s projects, set in stunning locales across Oman, aim to capitalise on the country’s natural attributes of a serene beachfront and striking mountains. The destinations selected for development are based on Muriya’s commitment to construct luxury developments with top-notch value while preserving the environment and natural beauty of the sultanate.
“The major unique selling point of Muriya’s projects is the low-density building policy wherein only 25 per cent of the land is used for building, leaving the remaining 75 per cent to commune with nature,” he says.
Launched in November 2007, the Jebel Sifah and Salalah Beach projects has well under way and are on target for delivery to begin by December 31 this year, according to Piaia.
Muriya will provide customers with single-storey homes and while the owners will enjoy the benefits of owning a private retreat, they will be in close proximity to the leisure and entertainment facilities provided by the two projects that include luxury hotels, marinas, golf courses and retail outlets.
Both Jebel Sifah and Salalah Beach target second-home buyers and investors and include freehold properties that allow 100 per cent foreign ownership.
In the planning and development of these two projects, Muriya is drawing on the expertise of its parent company ODH that has projects in seven countries – one of which is the highly successful business model of El Gouna in Egypt that started 20 years ago and is still being developed.

Jebel Sifah
Located 45 km from Muscat, Jebel Sifah is spread over 6.2 million sq m with 5.6 km of beachfront. It will comprise 2,700 luxurious residences including villas and apartments, a 200-berth marina and marina town, a world-class 18-hole PGA golf course, retail shops, two boutique marina hotels and four five-star hotels.
Muriya has secured a portfolio of the most reputable and prestigious hospitality brands for the project: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts and Angsana Resorts and Spas; and Missoni Hotels. These hotel properties represent 695 rooms, with more slated for future development.
The ongoing Phase One construction in Jebel Sifah is expected to be completed by 2011. As part of the first phase, the excavation, levelling and grading works for 31 villas facing the golf course have already been completed.
Construction work on 18 marina apartment blocks, which is currently in progress, is due for completion in 17 months, while excavation and levelling of three other marina apartment blocks is also under way.
Work on the marina is proceeding at a fast pace with about 107,000 cu m of the quay wall having been dredged and 155,000 cu m of the marina basin excavated.
The Jebel Sifah marina will be surrounded by the marina town that will reflect traditional Omani-style architecture. The town will be developed by AF Studio, a company established by renowned architect Alfredo Freda in Rome, Italy – a recipient of several Italian architectural awards.
Construction on one of the marina boutique hotels in Jebel Sifah will start this month (February) and is expected to be completed within 17 months. Designs for the remaining hotels – signed last November – are receiving the finishing touches and construction is scheduled to start before the year-end.

Salalah Beach
Located 20 km from Salalah airport, the Salalah Beach development covers an area of 15.6 million sq m with 8.2 km of beachfront – of which only 9.5 million sq m will be developed. It will comprise 3,000 residences including high-value luxury villas and apartments, an 18-hole PGA golf course, an inland 200-berth marina with a marina town, and five world-class hotels. These hotels include Club Med, Rotana, and Movenpick Hotels and Resorts – with two others hotels chains to be signed up soon.
The foundations for 35 villas have been completed while on 19 of these villas slabs have also been cast.
Under Phase One of the development, four blocks of 138 apartments will be built around the marina. Meanwhile on the marina itself, about 170,000 cu m of the marina basin has been excavated and 12,000 cu m of the quay wall dredged.
Excavation and soil replacement for the foundations for the Rotana Hotel has already started and is moving ahead at a fast pace.

Al Jannat
On the fringes of both projects, Muriya is offering a unique spin-off property investment opportunity, Al Jannat, which allows owners to design their own homes on plots with a minimum area of 4,200 sq m.
In terms of progress of work on these projects, Piaia says that at Al Janaat in Salalah, 75 per cent of the 4-m-high stone wall surrounding the plots of land has been finished. In Jebel Sifah, excavation for 29 Al Janaat properties has been completed with concrete currently being poured for the foundations.

Al Sodah Island
The Al Sodah Island – one of the four Halaniyat Islands, the largest group of offshore islands in Oman – is being developed by Muriya 35 nautical miles from the southern coast, off Dhofar governorate. Spread over 1 million sq m, it will feature an exclusive boutique hotel with 30 luxury chalets, each with its private beach.

City complex
The city complex, a 10-minute drive from Muscat International Airport and spread over 312,797 sq m, will comprise a shopping promenade including retail outlets, cafes, restaurants, office space and a marina hotel.

Environment
“Time and again, Muriya has reinforced its commitment to the preservation of the country’s natural treasures, taking the lead in promoting environmentally- and socially-responsible tourism,” Piaia says.
Supported by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (Meca), Muriya Tourism Development Company (MTDC) has played a pivotal role in the deployment of 12 mooring buoys across Oman in an effort to preserve the rich and vibrant marine and coral life of the country.
Muriya has clearly worked out stringent measures to preserve the flora and fauna of the country:
• Coral life will be regularly monitored by specialists to calculate the impact of development;
• Buffer zones will be established in environmentally-sensitive areas, such as the 150 m ‘no building zone’ near the ‘khawrs’ (inland creeks) in Salalah that houses special species of birds and fish;
• Vegetation clearing will be minimised to reduce habitat loss. Muriya will build around the natural resources rather than destroy it;
• In Salalah, Muriya will develop and implement a turtle management and nesting surveillance programme to protect the turtles; and
• A waste management plan will be put in place that will include recycling, minimisation of waste by educating guests and employees and regular waste collection and disposal.
“The hallmark of Muriya Tourism Development projects is uncompromising quality, on-time delivery and excellent after-sales services that set it apart from other projects in the country,” he adds.
In 2006, Oman, representing Oman’s Ministry of Tourism with a 30 per cent stake and Egypt’s ODH – with 70 per cent stake – came together to establish Muriya, one of the leading tourism development companies in Oman.
Confirming Muriya’s stance on timely delivery of project, Piaia says: “The ongoing construction on all the projects is a reiteration of Muriya’s commitment to the promise of delivering the properties from Phase One sales to all its clients as scheduled.
“We are dedicated to completing and delivering the projects on schedule as is evident from the work in progress. The construction progress at Salalah Beach and Jebel Sifah for both the hotels and real estate properties are in accordance to the scheduled drawn out. With the financial backing of our parent company, ODH and the support of our government-owned partner Omran, we are confident of keeping to our deadlines and delivering on time.
Having started construction in the second quarter of last year, Muriya is well on target to fulfil its commitment to its buyers, future guests of hotels and tourism activities, he concludes.