Oman wants Salalah to be a property investment destination too - here's how

Dubai: Oman’s second biggest city – Salalah – has always been a haven for tourists, especially those from within the Gulf who head there to beat the scorching summer heat. Now, Oman wants not just tourists to head to Salalah, but property buyers as well.

Oman's been making significant strides through its version of the Golden Visa program, with property ownership a key part of it.

“We will build a mix of new residential projects and re-generate some of the established locations in Salalah as part of our vision,” said Ibrahim Waili, Executive Director for National Spacial Strategy at Oman’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Planning.

“Because we believe Salalah and Oman can offer the ideal mix for investors, whether it’s from the GCC or outside. When the rest of the Arabian Gulf feels the 45-degree summer heat, the same period in Salalah offers so much of green and looks as if it’s a rain forest.

“It’s so different than the rest of the Gulf that for those weeks people migrate to Salalah from the north of Oman and from the rest of the GCC countries. And in the winter months, visitors from Europe come down to Salalah because they get the sun they want.”

The project is part of Oman’s OR33bn (68 billion pound) 'pipeline of development being delivered across the country as part of the Oman Vision 2040'.

Work on the New City Salalah waterfront start on-site later in the year.

From being a tourism destination, Oman is hoping that Salalah’s uniqueness translates into an ideal place to buy a home too.

The facets making up the Salalah development masterplan are quite transformative.

The project will cover 7.3 square kilometers and have 12,000 homes for up to 60,000 residents in four ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods. Now, it’s a given that any development in Salalah will have ample greenery integrated into it.

So, the masterplan accommodates 3.5 million square meters of open space and parks, and 100,000 squa meters for cultural space related amenities. All of which is to be built in a 15-year timeframe.

But when it comes to selling property in Salalah, it will always be about the location. “The city opens up to the ocean and we have one of the busiest ports and a fairly new airport,” said Waili. “There’s less of the geopolitical concerns and situations and taken together, it reduces the risk for investors to come and inject money in Salalah.

“Today, there is a privately-developed residential project in Salalah where 50% of owners there are from Poland.

“The Omani government will invest in the infrastructure and that’s going to be the primary role, and we will also commit to the anchors that will be embedded into the new Salalah.

“We will invest in the marina – dig it up and dig the canal.

“As for private developers, they have a good deal of freedom in utilizing their land to maximize the potential.”