01 February 2022

One of Oman’s largest integrated tourism projects – the masterplan for which was unveiled last November – has drawn keen interest among developers in the GCC and will now see the sultanate’s first sustainable city take shape under a $1-billion investment plan.

Among the first developers joining efforts in creating the vision for the mega Yiti Development in Muscat are the UAE-based Diamond Developers and the Saudi-based Dar Al Arkan.

Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran Group) – the government’s executive arm for tourism development – last month signed a partnership deal with Diamond Developers to set up the sustainable city within Phase One of its mega Yiti Tourism masterplan. 

Meanwhile, Dar Al Arkan has signed an agreement with Omran, which is a fully-owned subsidiary of Oman Investment Authority, to develop a premium, mixed-use project overlooking the Arabian Gulf in Muscat as part of the masterplan, marking its first entry into Oman.

Yiti aims to set a new model for urbanisation connecting and extending the city of Muscat, enriching its offerings and possibilities, through a multi-phased expansion approach.

Spanning over 11 million sq m, the development is a massive venture, strategically located overlooking the Sea of Oman. The Yiti masterplan is designed according to placemaking principles that ensure the establishment of innovative standards in urban development and architecture, as well as the activation of valleys, plateaus and coasts that harmonise within the topography of the site.

It will be spread over four phases involving a developable area of 3.5 million sq m, offering a plethora of opportunities for domestic and foreign direct investments alike.  This four-phased development approach takes into consideration the accessibility to infrastructure, connection to main roads and ease of development as well as to promote an organic expansion.

Yiti’s masterplan places a huge importance on the creation of a well-balanced integrated mixed-use residential and resort-oriented community that will include various components, such as tourism, commercial and business spaces as well as residential areas. In addition to leisure and entertainment attractions and educational and health facilities, it envisions inclusivity for the people through diverse and open-to-all public and community facilities.

 

Phase One

Phase One covers a 900,000-sq-m area and will focus on constructing a fully sustainable mixed-use project, the sultanate’s first-of-its-kind community that promotes sustainable living.

This marks the entry of the Sustainable City brand, the first fully operational sustainable community in the Middle East, into the Oman market. To develop the project, Omran and Diamond Developers are setting up a new joint venture, Sustainable Development Investment Company.

Omran CEO Hashil bin Obaid Al Mahrouqi says: “This marks a major milestone in the Yiti Development as we together begin the first phase of this integrated urban destination in Muscat.”

The project will include green public spaces, residences, tourism, commercial and educational facilities, all with well-balanced and integrated components.  Visitors and residents alike will enjoy a variety of unique lifestyle experiences, including restaurants, cafés, shops, an equestrian centre and a farm, along with other distinctive components that create a meaningful green-living environment.

Further details of the project are expected to be revealed this month, a spokeswoman for Diamond Developers tells Gulf Construction.

The signing further attests to Omran’s strategic vision in expanding the nation’s tourism sector and its pivotal role as a catalyst and enabler of multi-fold, lucrative investment opportunities in the country in line with Oman Investment Authority’s directions in realising the ambitious goals of Oman Vision 2040 and supporting the delivery of the National Tourism Strategy, Al Mahrouqi adds.

Diamond Developers Chairman Faris Saeed says: “We are very excited to join hands with Omran to execute our first project in Oman, and to work together on preserving the sultanate’s rich natural environmental resources in accordance with the best global green practices.”

“Over the past decade, we have gained and harnessed invaluable knowledge from our working proof-of-concept, which we are leveraging to set new standards for building sustainable and resilient cities with the highest sustainable standards to achieve a carbon-neutral future that also suits the local culture, environment, and economy,” he adds.

 

Masterplan

“Yiti Development masterplan is an epitome of progression, embodying components complementing each other, and based on a vision of balanced land use and urban design as key elements of its ethos. We have consciously created a development plan that will be executed through holistic partnerships with world-class expertise. It is anticipated to create a modern integrated urban hub that sets new and improved urban planning standards for future developments in Oman and the region. This integrated development in the sultanate, brings with it multi-fold opportunities for potential investors from across the region and the globe to be associated with it,” Al Mahrouqi explains.

Local community development will be a key focus for the Yiti development by enabling and providing ample business opportunities for local companies, SMEs, giving them the exposure to work with global industry firms. In line with Omran Group’s In-Country Value programme, Yiti Development will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for Omani youth and create sustainable commercial benefits for the sultanate. In addition, it will stimulate the local market through the procurement of local goods and services, enhancing the capabilities of the local workforce and increasing productivity in the country.

 

Dar Al Arkan Partnership

As part of the masterplan, Dar Al Arkan will develop a mixed-use project 30 minutes from Muscat’s city centre in the areas of Yiti and Yenkit. Situated on a hilltop in a stunning location, the project will comprise premium residential units – all with frontline picturesque sea views – as well as commercial outlets, hospitality offerings and other services.  The project will be developed over the next 10 years. Most importantly, it will be developed with a sustainable and environmentally-friendly approach to fit in with the characteristics of the area and showcase the sultanate’s unique natural beauty.

Work on the development will start this year and completion of the first phase is due in 2026.  

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