600 Omani youth volunteers engaged at Qatar World Cup

Omani volunteers are part of the Sultanate of Oman’s initiative to ensure the success of the Qatar World Cup 2022. For this, 600 Omani youths have taken up the task of voluntary service and are engaged in different assignments.

Azzan bin Qasim bin Mohammed al Busaidy, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for Tourism, affirmed the interest of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman to support the efforts of Qatar to make the hosting of the tournament a success.

Many areas of cooperation point towards the Sultanate of Oman’s cooperation relating to programmes accompanying the World Cup.

Also, there is a move to celebrate the historic hosting of the 2022 World Cup in the region and promote Muscat as a major city approved to receive World Cup fans.

The programme is managed by a joint working team headed by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. It includes several government agencies, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Royal Oman Police and the Oman Investment Authority, represented by the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran Group), Oman Air and Oman Airports, and several institutions supporting the programme.

Among the most important initiatives came the participation of women’s security forces in securing activities and places for women’s gatherings.

From the hospitality sector, about 20,000 hotel rooms along with 200 tourism products, 35 local operators, ten land transport companies, and 52 airlines are engaged for the World Cup.

Facilities were provided to Haya cardholders who are fans of the World Cup at Muscat International Airport. In addition, Haya cardholders enjoy a visa with special benefits.

“For Haya cardholders, the visa is a free multi-trip visa, enhanced with the feature of extraction at access and a validity period of up to 60 days. The Haya cardholder is also allowed to accompany their family of the first class to enjoy residency in the Sultanate of Oman, adding that the Haya cardholder is allowed to change to a visa of another category while staying in the Sultanate of Oman, according to the applicable requirements. The representative of the Royal Oman Police touched upon the detailed procedures for obtaining the visa easily and smoothly,” Said Lieutenant-Colonel Ahmed bin Saeed al Ghafri, Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs at the General Directorate of Passports and Civil Status.

Dr Khalid bin Abdul Wahab al Balushi, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Oman Air, mentioned that the national transport will operate several flights between Muscat and Doha during the World Cup matches from November 20 until December 3. He added that fans would be able to book one-day flights directly through the Oman Air website. Prices start from RO 99 for Economy Class and RO 305 for Business Class.

Also, to encourage citizens, special prices have been provided for them, starting from RO 49 for economy class and RO 155 for business class.

The General Directorate of Scouts and Guides also revealed its preparations to participate in the 2022 World Cup Qatar through its accompanying programme, which includes general supervision of the file of Omani volunteers in this global event.

Dr Yaqoub bin Khalfan al Nadabi, General Director of the Directorate of Scouts and Guides, said, “The directorate’s participation in the 2022 Qatar World Cup comes within the framework of the general supervision of the Omani volunteers’ to participate, and the volunteer programme aims to create a smooth experience for fans from all over the world.