With the World Cup 2022 in Doha all set to enter its second week, the football fever has gripped the Sultanate, which is one of the partner countries.
Several football fans are now residing in the Sultanate of Oman and travel to and fro neighbouring Qatar via shuttle flights operated specifically for the tournament.
Speaking to the Observer, Haarun, an Iranian team supporter who had returned from Doha after his team trounced Wales on Friday, said: “There is a group of some 35 Iranian supporters, mostly based in Italy, staying put at one of the hotels of the country in Qurum. Irrespective of the team’s performance, we will visit Qatar for a few matches, including important ones.”
He said, “Came here as part of the hospitality packages of the World Cup, and the entire procedure has been smooth and efficient. Barring a few unoccupied shifts, the shuttle flight that we have been to has been operated to the full facility.” He said fans of other national teams also stay in the Sultanate of Oman in groups and fly to Qatar just before the match.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MoHT) said that several Argentine fans residing in the Sultanate of Oman visited many tourist sites before heading to Qatar for their team’s crucial match against Mexico on Saturday. Led by Messi, Argentina was shocked when Saudi Arabia defeated them 2-1.
“It is a great achievement through an unprecedented work that attracted World Cup fans to the Sultanate,” said Suleiman, an Omani citizen. It may be noted that the ‘Oman World Cup Programme’ is having a Football Fan Festival at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) from November 18, which can cater to 4,000 guests at a given point in time, offering them contests, activities, competitions, food stalls and live broadcasts of all 64 matches.
As part of the Sultanate of Oman’s programme for the Fifa World Cup 2022, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has launched the #HalfTimeForOman competition on social media platforms to win free holidays in the Sultanate of Oman, through the national travel operator platform — visitoman.om, in partnership with Oman Air. Aimed at getting inbound tourists to the Sultanate, the competition will be held during the break between the halves of all matches of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and targets fans from outside the country and give them the opportunity to explore unique experiences, heritage and tourism sites.
