The magnificent Omanis
It is a sad thing to leave the gentle splendour of Oman, one of the few Gulf countries not currently being threatened with sanctions by the US for failing to stop human trafficking.
"Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar were all cited in a US State Department's annual report on trafficking worldwide.
"The report said up to 800,000 people - mainly women and children - were being trafficked across borders each year."
The reason for this is quite simple: in Oman - as in Bahrain - local people are prepared to take jobs at all levels. They drive taxis. They work in restaurants and at hotels. They act as tourguides. They don't expect to walk into a US$100,00+ job straight from high school and work a 25-hour week.
The learned Collounsbury has several relevant if un-reprintable comments on this, visit here to fill out the ellipses:
"The shift to non-Arab origin labor of course was a strategic political choice [...] Better then, for political purposes, to import Asians, either sub-Continentals or others, as the likelihood of believing they should be part of the club is/was lower [...]"
Omanis are also extremely hospitable people, proof that the "legendary Arabic hospitality" proclaimed in every tourist brochure is of more solid stuff than legend. Anyone wanting the Arabian experience, stunning natural scenery and archaelogy in an extremely safe and affordable country should try Oman.
"Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar were all cited in a US State Department's annual report on trafficking worldwide.
"The report said up to 800,000 people - mainly women and children - were being trafficked across borders each year."
The reason for this is quite simple: in Oman - as in Bahrain - local people are prepared to take jobs at all levels. They drive taxis. They work in restaurants and at hotels. They act as tourguides. They don't expect to walk into a US$100,00+ job straight from high school and work a 25-hour week.
The learned Collounsbury has several relevant if un-reprintable comments on this, visit here to fill out the ellipses:
"The shift to non-Arab origin labor of course was a strategic political choice [...] Better then, for political purposes, to import Asians, either sub-Continentals or others, as the likelihood of believing they should be part of the club is/was lower [...]"
Omanis are also extremely hospitable people, proof that the "legendary Arabic hospitality" proclaimed in every tourist brochure is of more solid stuff than legend. Anyone wanting the Arabian experience, stunning natural scenery and archaelogy in an extremely safe and affordable country should try Oman.
2 Comments:
I totally agree with your comments here. (Okay, so I might be biased because I am from Oman) but this is what I've heard a lot of people say, particularly those who have visited and lived in other GCC countries. It's almost a blessing that Oman hasn't gone crazy promoting itself as a tourist destination, considering it has some of the most stunning scenery in the region.
Well I hope our Oman well remain like it is but it seems it will change..I have to live in Nizwa when the life style in Muscat becomes like Dubai
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