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I beg to differ. Oman was scheduled to host the conference and they decided very late in the preparation schedule back in 2006 that they want to makeover the Bustan Palace Hotel. They kept making changes in the hotel's renovations and it became obvious it won't be ready for December 2007 so they used Gonu as an excuse to push it back a year. Oman chose Nov 24-27 as the conference date even though traditionally the conference usually takes place at the end of Dec. It appears that Oman suddenly asked the other GCC countries to push back the date by a month with no explanation given. Maybe last minute touch ups as the Bustan? Strangely Oman has asked asked the Barr Al Jissah resort to cancel all its bookings implying that the conference might take place there. But all signs point to the Bustan still being the place. Afterall, that's where all the royal suites are located. So do they really need all three hotels in Barr al Jissah plus the Intercont just for hosting delegations? And, why block a whole week when the conference only lasts two or three days??

Very badly managed. This could have easily been avoided. The Diwan needs a better PR and crises management dept.

Hi Muscati

As I said in my post, there was a possibility of changes of specifications in the refurbishment of the Al Bustan hotel, and Oman was unprepared.

I've just been back to read the Daily Telegraph article AND it isn't JUST Barr al-Jissah, it's all the five-star hotels in Muscat that have been directed to close. That means the Al Bustan itself, the Muscat Intercontinental and the Grand Hyatt as well as Barr al-Jissah. Have the GCC delegations grown so very significantly that the Al Bustan is inadequate to house them all?

I rang a friend in Oman who confirmed this.

The only five-star hotel in Muscat which will be open at Christmas is The Chedi.

Try asking some of the high status people in the other Gulf countries whether any pressure was put on Oman.

I can confirm that Grand Hyatt and Intercon and Crown Plaza are also involved.
I work for a travel agent and some of our guests will be affected too, although only a few.

Sucks to be in hospitality in muscat right now I guess, I can totally imagine what it must feel like right now calling all the guests who had already booked.

I am involved in one aspect of making Oman and in particular Muscat, more available to visiting tourists and would-be residents. Whilst maintaining Oman's cultural heritage is of utmost importance, nonetheless it is important to make incomers feel welcome and included. Whilst the sudden, late and enforced cancellation of hotel bookings due to a governmental order may seem of small importance to people in Oman, (after all it's only foreign outsiders, yes ?) to these prospective visitors involved it is a complete turn-off, has destroyed their plans and has cost them money in cancelled flights and re-bookings elsewhere. Don't think for a moment that these people will EVER think of coming to Oman ever again. They will remember. Further bad publicity spreads and the legal cases which are likely will be trumpeted in the Western press.

This WILL hurt Oman's tourism and don't think for a minute that it doesn't matter. Oman's tourist industry is a fragile thing and has to be worked hard at. Tourists need to be encouraged and made welcome, not pushed about and treated like a second-class commodity. There are plenty other places tourists in the World can go if they find Oman unwelcoming. Remember the oil won't last forever, then what does Oman have to fall back on ?

By the way, actually how many GCC summit delegates are there and how many more hangers-on are attached to each delegate ? Nice job for some !

Sue, everything you say about the right of the country to host the conference etc is perfectly correct.

HOWEVER there is a lot more to this than you have reported.

Firstly, the summit was originally widely believed to have been scheduled for late Nov - that was the expected date for all of this year as far as I was aware. However, it became increasingly obvious that the Al Bustan Hotel was NOT going to be ready in time.

Then suddenly, the date has changed at the last minute. How on earth is a hotel supposed to operate when a bombshell like that is dropped? I dread to think what sort of crisis meetings are going on at the big hotels - canceling the numerous seasonal festivities that have been organised, with all the food and entertainment etc that has already been committed to, let alone the hundreds of guests who need to be informed (many of whom are local, I might add). And dont suggest rebooking at the Chedi - its always full. This conference is a HUGE do for Oman - taking out the top 6 hotels leaves very little else on offer in the capital area. It's not as though you can just book somewhere else.

Secondly, Oman is very proud of its countryside and is trying very hard to promote itself on the world travel market. Every week there is an article in the Oman Daily Observer about how the country is being reported as a wonderful tourist destination in the foreign press. For example, yesterday's ODO had a reprint of an article from a Belgium magazine entitled 'Outdoor in Oman' which took up nearly the entire back page. Promoting tourism is taken seriously by the ministry of tourism.

So, my point is this: Oman is perfectly entitled to have the GCC summit when it wants, but it needs to consider the implications on its tourism industry, which it has always tried very hard to promote, if it then reneges on its obligations as a result. Having given an implication that the conference was going to be on one date and then change it to another, is no way to help the tourist industry promote its business and gives Oman the reputation of being unreliable to deal with. This will be a scare story at travel agents for years to come.

Oh I agree Fligs. See also the post and comments at Blue Chi's blog: http://www.blue-chi.com/200...

and to bring things right back to a more practical point, which still affects a lot of preparations for projects, meetings etc: Who knows some facts about the rumour that there will be an additional holiday in Oman for the GCC summit?