Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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The Zaree program is an all-female, micro-enterprise business and the first of its kind in the
Middle East.183 Supported by Omran, Zaree is a culturally appropriate tourism approach for
Omani women to engage the thousands of guests who arrive primarily via Khasab Port in
Musandam, the northern exclave of Oman. Female tourists are adorned in traditional dress,
decorated with henna, and welcomed by Omani women who have become both entrepreneurs
and ambassadors of Oman.8
Omran builds employee energy awareness, invests in energy-saving devices, and compresses
the work day to exclude a lunch hour as a strategy to reduce energy consumption. Fortunately,
Oman has renewable groundwater supplies, but water conservation is still needed to meet
future demands. Project-generated waste produced and recycled, as well as office waste
produced and recycled are measured. Periodic sustainability reports are written in accordance
with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3.1 guidelines for sustainable reporting.8
Stakeholder Engagement
The Oman Tourism Strategy identifies governmental ministries, public companies and
organizations (like Omran and Oman Air), regional authorities, and other government bodies as
public-sector stakeholders. Private sector stakeholders include Destination Management
Companies (DMCs), tourism products and services, professional services, transport services,
associations, accommodations, tourism education and training, and international and regional
organizations. It is planned for stakeholders to be invited to contribute to and support the Oman
Tourism Strategy. Initiatives to this end will be developed to ensure synergy and obtain
consensus for implementation plans.10
Funding
Omran’s sustainable destination management activities are self-funded. The Oman Tourism
Strategy calls for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) where the majority of funding is supplied
by the private sector and the remaining by the public sector. With the anticipated growth of
demand, additional resources will be needed for the provision of infrastructure and services
beyond public funding. The required investment for the Oman Tourism Strategy is estimated at
more than $200 billion between 2016 and 2040, with an estimated 88% supplied by the private
sector.10
Monitoring and Evaluation of Sustainability
Measuring the impact of tourism development has primarily been done by Omran, the
government’s national developer, through Social Return on Investment (SROI) Reports and
Sustainability Reports. Each report relies on surveys and testimonials regarding how
individuals have benefited from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities and how the
CSR program has expanded its reach. Environmental impact is measured in metrics of waste
generation and recycling, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally,
volunteer-hours of employees and participation in campaigns, awareness events, etc. are also
reported.184
183
184 Interview with Badriya Siyabi, Omran’s CSR Coordinator.