3 Featured Destinations for Birds Watching in Oman

Oman witnesses huge swarms of migratory birds during their seasonal journey between their nesting habitats and the places where they spend winters, especially those birds migrating from Europe and East Asia. Many birds, especially water fowl, migrate from faraway regions like northern Siberia, and travel about five thousand kilometres.





Visitors can see many species of birds in each of Oman’s

Geological Stories: Muscat Geo - Sites

In Oman, geological stories can be found everywhere. Some are presented on a dramatic scale such as in the massive folding and faulting that can be seen on parts of Oman's 700 km long mountain range. Echoes of momentous geological events can even be found in the hustle and bustle of urban areas. For example visitors to Muscat Corniche need only to look at the surrounding hills in order to imagine

Climbing in Oman: Al Jabal Al Akhdar (Green Mountain)

Omani mountains with their towering heights, rocky and steep slopes and rugged tracks constitute a
challenge for any mountaineer. In Oman, there are several climbing areas and their diversity corresponds to the climber’s skill, as there are the paved paths for beginners and the very rugged for the more experienced climber.



Wadi Ghool in A'Sharqiyah South Governorate which rises to 300 metres

SHORT FILM SCREENING AND TOURISM SOUK ROADSHOW

OMAN MINISTRY OF TOURISM HITS THE ROAD WITH A FOUR-DAY
SHORT FILM SCREENING AND TOURISM SOUK ROADSHOW



The Oman Ministry of Tourism will be on the road for a
four day roadshow starting on Monday 28 April in Southampton at the Grand
Harbour Hotel Southampton (www.grandharbourhotel.co.uk). This will be
followed by events on Tuesday 29 April

An ancient tradition - The Frankincense Tree.

This tree has gained worldwide fame and frankincense is mentioned in ancient history books. Dhofar has known frankincense since time immemorial. In addition to its aromatic fragrance and use as incense to aromatise houses, frankincense is also used as a therapeutic ingredient.





Humanity has known the frankincense tree since ancient times, and a special relationship has grown between the two.

UCLan Tourism graduate focuses on the 'Little Touches'

UCLan BA (Hons) International Tourism Management 2011 graduate Tom Metcalf has recently started his own hospitality consultancy – with a twist.

In fact, Tom bills his firm Little Touches as hospitality with a twist on normality. Not a 'one stop shop', but a details specialist with original and classic concepts to surprise, delight and unite, but never frighten hospitality guests across the board.

Tom particularly enjoyed the second year Managing Service Operations module of his degree delivered by Carley Sutton, which got him thinking about attention to detail as a phenomenon in its own right.

For his third year, Tom opted to spend it at Walt Disney World in Florida on placement.

He spent seven months at the world's busiest theme park Magic Kingdom as part of Main Street Operations, splitting his time between regulating guest flow as part of 'Parade Audience Control' and welcoming guests to the theme park in what Disney terms 'Park Greeter', their version of turnstile operatives.

The Bolton-born entrepreneur was regularly nominated as 'chute captain' to act in a leadership role to train, motivate and manage teams of up to ten people controlling guest movement in the main gateway to the Magic Kingdom lands. The remaining five months were spent at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge hotel as a 'Front Desk Cashier', the equivalent of a five-star hotel in European classifications.

Returning for his final year, Tom's observations on his time at Disney proved invaluable in completing his dissertation on 'The Little Touches: an insight into a unique phenomenon in the service sector'. Having Edwin Thwaites assigned as his supervisor was the icing on the cake, and a strong dissertation grade secured him the First Class degree he could only dream about when embarking on the course in September 2007.

Following a seasonal position at one of the largest holiday parks in Western Europe, Bourne Leisure's Butlins Minehead, more insight into the 'touches' emotional connection was garnered. The recipient of the university's Gilbertson Excellence Scholarship, Tom graduated for the second time from UCLan in December 2013, this time with a Master of Arts in Scriptwriting, something which complements his new enterprise perfectly, as a sense of theatre is never too far away in the hospitality industry.

Tom has recently started a blog under the banner of 'ATD Superstars' which will profile outstanding hospitality organisations who know their A to Z of attention to detail inside and out.

3 environments with its own distinctive flavour: A'Sharqiyah

The nature of this region blends three environments, each having its own distinctive flavour: the coastline, hugging the Arabian Sea and part of the Sea of Oman, tells the story of hard work done by hardy men. Their weapons are the boats they have built with their own strong hands. Their ammunition is their nets spun by their dexterous fingers while chanting melodious work songs. Under cover of

The Human Backbone Mountains: North and South Al Batinah

Omanis compare Al Hajar Mountains to the human backbone, so they call the Governorate which lies
on the Sea of Oman North and South Al Batinah, and the Governorate that lies west of the heights A'Dhahirah.



North and South Al Batinah Governorate is the beach formed by the valleys descending from the mountains, whose width varies between 15 and 80 kilometres. This is the main two agricultural

Top 10 Unforgettable experiences in Oman

Are you thinking about your next holiday destination? Have you ever been to Oman?



Oman has so much to offer that it is hard to know where to begin. There are literally thousands of attractions in this country - and the diversity of choice will make almost any length of holiday seem too short to take everything in.



We've picked 10 reason that might help you to decide and plan your next trip

WTM Career in Travel programme 2014

After a hugely successful event in 2013, World Travel Market have announced it is now possible to reserve tickets for students to attend the WTM Career in Travel programme 2014.

Held on 5/6 November at ExCel London, the WTM Career in Travel will continue to increase student opportunities within the industry and give you the chance to develop knowledge, understanding and exposure to the business of travel and tourism.

The event includes the following:

• Meet exhibiting companies who have expressed an interest in hiring students
• Gain expert advice from leading industry figures through the ITT Future You Conference
• Career Essentials - CV advice, proactive thinking & how to network at the WTM Advice Seminars
• Attend dedicated sessions pertinent to the industry and relevant to their studies, including Responsible Tourism, Social Media and Travel Technology

For further information please click here. Any UCLan Tourism students interested in attending please email Carley Sutton.

Cyprus trip gets five stars

Undergraduates from UCLan's Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management programmes recently took part in a study visit to Cyprus.

Second year students were given an introductory presentation about the country by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.

This included marketing, statistics, priorities conferences, incentives and special interest activities and events in Cyprus. The group also visited St John Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty 'Nicosia style', the Green Line (the dividing line between the occupied areas & the free zone) and the Venetian walls encircling the town.

The next day focused on Socio-cultural impacts, diversification, SMEs in tourism, innovation, creativity and competitiveness, along with contemporary, sustainability and environmental concerns. The students travelled to the medieval village Omodos in the Troodos Mountains to visit a local winery and the famous monastery, before exploring an agrotourism project. They continued to Troodos square (1800m above sea level) where they had the chance to explore the nature.

One of the best five star hotels in Cyprus – the Four Seasons – was the base for the penultimate day of the trip, with students looking at Service Quality Management, hotel conventions, sales, services, and operations. They were given a behind the scenes tour to observe various departments, before enjoying a five star lunch/meal experience.

The final day saw the group visit UCLan Cyprus. After taking a tour of the campus and its facilities, the students were given a presentation on event management in Cyprus by IMH – the leading business knowledge and information transfer organisation in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The trip was brought to a close by UCLan Cyprus students as part of the TL1020 module (Practical Event Operations). The students planned a traditional Cypriot event which included music and traditional Meze food.

Course Leader Carley Sutton said the trip highlighted UCLan's commitment to providing a world-class learning and teaching experience: "Cyprus is an excellent destination to conduct field work in the areas of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management.

"We gained exposure to a number of professionals within the industry and the students gained first-hand knowledge of current issues and practices. On our return, the students are already critically analysing field notes via a weblog as part of the assessment. The plans have already started for our next study visit!"

A story about the trip was also published in a Cypriot national newspaper. To view the article please click here.