Omani Heritage Gallery

Preserving the Past, Creating a Future.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Company Structure and Mission, Promoting Tourism in Oman, Commitment to Oman

COMPANY STRUCTURE AND MISSION Top of Page

Omani Heritage Gallery L.L.C. (OHG) is a 100% Omani-owned company that was established in 1995 to provide a link between traditional craft communities and newly emerging markets for craft products with particular emphasis on the country’s growing tourist and visitor markets. In order to successfully maintain this link and contribute to the continuing growth of these crucial markets, OHG is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Oman’s craft heritage and the development of this extraordinary part of the country’s history and culture as an economic resource.

OHG is structured as a not-for-profit (NPO) enterprise, and as such it is the first private sector company in Oman to place social responsibility at the forefront of its corporate manifesto. OHG’s NPO status means that after covering costs all returns are directed to the further development of Oman’s craft industries and the provision of income-generating opportunities to Omani artisans throughout the country. OHG’s owners accrue no financial benefit from the company, whose sole aim is the encouragement, development and promotion of Oman’s heritage and the benefit of the Omani artisans themselves.

Virtually all returns generated by OHG are channeled directly back into Omani hands, including over 200 hundred traditional artisans in some of the country’s most remote locations. This stands in stark contrast to nearly all other tourism ventures in Oman where a large proportion of benefits ultimately end up outside Oman as a result of foreign shareholders and high percentages of expatriate management and staff.

PROMOTING TOURISM IN OMAN Top of Page

OHG operates a world-class showroom at a prime location in Shatti Al Qurm. The stunning design of the showroom is based on traditional Omani themes and has received many accolades. OHG provides the opportunity for tourists and visitors to purchase high quality traditional craft products including jewelry, pottery, tribal weavings, camel trappings, basketry, textiles, copper, leather articles and a variety of other hand-crafted souvenirs, all with guaranteed authenticity. In addition to the showroom in Shatti Al Qurm, OHG’s efforts in 2002 have resulted in a new outlet opening inside Nizwa Fort itself as well as a major presence in Muscat Duty Free early in 2003.

In addition to its retail activities, OHG works hand-in-hand with the tourism industry, staging special events and exhibitions featuring Omani crafts and working artisans, and arranging for special-interest tour groups to visit sites of craft production. OHG also prepares gift packages with informational enclosures for tour companies to present to inbound tourists. Furthermore, products
are positioned for sale in hotels around the country and OHG promotes the use of Omani crafts in the decoration of hotel rooms and lobbies.

OHG actively engages in a public relations programme aimed at educating both the local community and visitors about Oman’s craft heritage. Presentations and lectures are given to school groups, women’s associations, companies, diplomatic missions and special interest groups, often with demonstrations by working artisans. OHG also represents Omani artisans at international trade shows and academic conferences, and at local events sponsored by the Omani government. The promotion and education services provided by OHG serve to elevate the status of Omani artisans and enhance Oman’s heritage profile and national image, while promotion of individual expert artisans serves to enhance prestige and image within local communities. All of these efforts, and indeed every item sold which is taken overseas, serves to promote Oman as a tourist destination.

COMMITMENT TO OMAN Top of Page

OHG’s efforts to raise the status of Oman’s artisans, increase awareness of its extraordinarily rich and diverse heritage, and promote the country as a prime destination for cultural tourism has been so successful that the Council of Ministers has recognized the achievement and future benefit to Oman’s people by appointing OHG as the official agency to direct a massive R.O. 400,000 programme over 3 years comprising 25 development projects and involving a more than 400 Omani artisans. OHG’s nomination for the Oman Award for Excellence for Tourism Promoter of the Year serves to give all Omani artisans a sense of pride and accomplishment in their work, as well as satisfaction to the Council of Ministers that their confidence has been well founded. OHG is confident that its ceaseless efforts will continue to win the recognition and praise of its peers, and that the benefits the company brings to Oman and its people will continue to make waves throughout the country and beyond.