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2 ADVENTURE OMANDAILYOBSERVER SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l 2017 Exhilarating challenges It is hard to resist the siren call of the Omani mountains. climbs of the season, the opportunity to conquer them continues to attract an increasingly wide range of riders each year. HARIDEV PUSHPARAJ MUSCAT, FEB. 17 The 2017 Tour of Oman will miss the presence of Vincenzo Nibali, the 2016 winner, but the prestigious blue-riband event will have a new champion this time around. The race provides an early opportunity to tackle some difficult climbs and test the riders’ fitness. The race will also offer two sprinterfriendly stages, while puncheurs — riders who thrive on rolling terrain and short, steep climbs — will have several chances to surprise the peloton. Most importantly for the GC, the Green Mountain summit finish comes on the eve of the final stage in Muscat, where climbers will meet their moment of truth. It is hard to resist the siren call of the Omani mountains. Offering the first really difficult climbs of the season, the opportunity to conquer them continues to attract an increasingly wide range of riders each year. The familiar punchy finishes on the Al Jissah climb at Al Bustan and in Qurayat are tailor-made for opportunistic attackers like Van Avermaet and seasoned professionals Alexis Gougeard and Niki Terpstra. The showdowns on these climbs will serve as the prelude to what will be the main event of the Tour of Oman: The ascent of Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain). In this penultimate stage, the GC contenders will meet on the slopes of this demanding climb to gauge their form and see if their dreams of overall victory will be fulfilled. But in the Middle East climbers are not the only kings. The masters of the finishing straight, such as Tom Boonen or Alexander Kristoff, will also have multiple opportunities to lunge for the victory. Naseem Park and Muttrah Sea Road will be the settings for these exciting high-speed finishes. The fast men of the peloton will put their trains to work in these two stages, seeking to polish their positioning and oil the machine in order to claim their first major win of the season. Notable teams that are absent are Team Sky, Lotto Soudal and LottoNL-Jumbo. Nibali the former overall winner of the race will be missing in action this time around, so will Chris Froome, but the race will not be any less exciting. BUNCH FINISH EXPECTED Organisers ASO have made full use of the nation’s lumpier terrain by adding meddlesome hills to complicate what would otherwise be straightforward sprint stages. Stage two includes four climbs, none longer than 4 km but all with gradients averaging over eight per cent; an uphill finish on stage three plays into the hands of the puncheurs; and the three-lap circuit that includes the Climb of Bausher Al Amerat should prove too challenging for the pure sprinters. That doesn’t leave too much for sprinters — which explains why, beyond Alexander Kristoff (Katusha- Alpecin) and Sacha Modolo (UAE Abu Dhabi), so few big names are lining up — but both the opening and closing stage should culminate in a bunch finish. GREEN MOUNTAIN ( JABAL AL AKHDHAR ) One of the treats of the Tour of Oman is that it boasts one of the first proper out-and-out climbs of the season — the Jabal Al Akhdhar, otherwise known as the ‘Green Mountain’. Unlike the climbs tackled in the likes of the Tour Down Under, Jabal Al Akhdhar has a considerable length (5.7 km) to match the bite of its gradient (10.5 per cent), and it provides a chance therefore to witness a full-blooded climbing showdown. That the GC will be decided on its slopes is virtually a guarantee — since its first inclusion in 2011, no rider has ever managed to win the overall classification without also finishing in the top two of this stage. ARU TO WATCH OUT FOR Fabio Aru’s season is structured around the Giro d’Italia, and last year’s winner of that race, his exteam-mate Vincenzo Nibali, opened his account by sealing the overall at the Tour of Oman. A similar win for Aru would install plenty of confidence in Astana that he can adequately replace Nibali, but may be unlikely given his usual slow starts to the season. BARDET HOPES FOR AN ENCORE Romain Bardet’s plans are more long-term than Aru’s with his main focus, the Tour de France, still another five months away, but he’ll still be hoping to make an impression on his first race of the season. The Frenchman generally doesn’t take too long to get up to speed as Aru, and tends to go well in Oman, having finished runner-up last year and won the young riders’ classification in 2014, but one thing he has lacked throughout his career is overall victories in stage races. With no-time trial stage to deter him, the Tour of Oman might become the his first since the 2013 Tour de l’Ain — a win that would be a clear indication that he’s capable of winning the Tour come July. 5.7 km Unlike the climbs tackled in the likes of the Tour Down Under, Jabal Al Akhdhar has a considerable length (5.7 km) to match the bite of its gradient (10.5 per cent), and it provides a chance therefore to witness a full-blooded climbing showdown.
ENTERTAINMENT 3 SATURDAY l FEBRUARY 18 l 2017 OMANDAILYOBSERVER T V SARNGA DHARAN NAMBIAR MUSCAT, FEB 17 Aruba in the Caribbean islands — never mind the dreaded hurricane belt looming in the north, or Hawaii or Loire Valley (France)... the call of the exotic lands is irresistible, when it comes to tying the knot, or honeymooning thereafter. Destination weddings are in vogue. Sure, they raise the pleasure quotient of couples (and guests) to new heights; but may not guarantee enduring marital bliss. It’s all about experience. Philosophically, wedding is a highly personal affair involving two individuals; but economically, it’s a multi-billion dollar enterprise involving stakeholders such as destination management companies (DMC), tour and travel operators, event management firms and hotels and resorts. Obviously, they join in the excitement of the whole affair, with the couples. According to industry sources, the annual operation cycle of the wedding industry hovers around $300 billion, with a sizeable share of it coming from destination weddings, which form almost one-fourth of the total number of weddings. Though a late entrant, the Sultanate has set its eyes on a significant slice of this lucrative market, in its quest to boost tourism revenues. It is steadily growing in popularity as the choicest wedding destination, especially among Indians and to some extent Europeans. True, the country doesn’t offer much of a heady nightlife, but this void is more than compensated by the serenity and mystical charm of unspoilt nature at its splendid best, the rich heritage and a well-defined hospitality and tourism infrastructure. It’s not just weddings; Oman is attracting honeymooners as well. The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) is actively showcasing the country both as an attractive wedding and honeymoon destination in the potential markets of India, Europe and GCC countries. These are exciting times for stakeholders. Oman’s major DMCs have hosted several groups of wedding planners from these countries in a bid to showcase the virgin beauty of the land and its myriad possibilities, allowing them to inspect major hotels and resorts, and other attractions such as the Royal Opera House, the Grand Mosque, Amouage perfumery, and landscapes. Pre- and post-wedding tours to fabulous locations outside Muscat such as Sharqiyah, Jabel Akhdar, Al Hamra and Salalah offering them enchanting glimpses of deserts, wadis, mountains, and traditional life as defined by historical souqs, ancient settlements and farming have helped boost ‘brand Oman’ in the target markets. The Ministry of Tourism has been extending strategic support to the tourism industry, in line with the government’s plans to diversify the economy. Wedding and honeymoon tourism, MICE tourism and film tourism are all being vigorously promoted by the ministry in foreign markets. Compared with Dubai and Abu Dhabi (in the Middle East) and regular hotspots in Asia and Europe, Oman is relatively Travel to wed unknown to the world as a wedding destination. And this “charm of the unexplored” is being used as a deft marketing strategy. The Sultanate has, over the last few years, had quite a number of destination weddings, a few of them high-profile grandiose events with a guest count exceeding 1,000. Enquiries are pouring in, sources say. Beyond the common attractions, it’s the cultural similarities between Oman and India that makes Oman more appealing to the Indian market, while safety, tranquility, pleasing climate, the thrill of exploring the “unknown”, and an authentic Arabian experience wow the Europeans. Talking about India, its famed “Big Fat” wedding market is valued at $40 billion a year, and is poised for great growth. It is expected to zoom past the $50 billion wedding market in the US in a couple of years, enabling it to stake claim as the largest wedding market in the world. Destination wedding industry holds huge potential for Oman, as it generates direct and indirect job opportunities for nationals in segments such as event management, destination management, transportation and logistics etc. Beyond this, guests who come over to Oman to attend the weddings act as its tourism ambassadors. More often than not they come back to Oman for holidaying. Statistics reveal that the wedding team and guests spend heavily during their course of stay, usually a week or so, significantly adding to the tourism spending here. This is one of the reasons why the ministry of tourism is so keen to promote this lucrative segment in the foreign markets, holding several high impact roadshows and advertising campaigns as well as other focused promotions, in association with its regional representative offices. It has even explored collaboration with popular digital wedding platforms such as weddingsutra. com.
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