Omani Women from Desert to Tourism Wisal al-Harthy manages Arabian Nights Camp while studying Camping Culture

is inculcating in the mentality of Omani Society There are many Omani nationals who turn challenges to opportunities. They challenge all developments and overcome all the challenges they encounter during their life. They never surrender whatever the difficulties may be. Wisal bint Abdullah al-Harthy, Manager General of Arabian Nights Camp, is in her twenties and still a college student. She runs her late father's camp who dies few months ago. It is a well-known and pioneer desert camp in the Sultanate. It is located in the middle of the desert, Sharqiyyah Sands in particular. Wisal studies business administration at Sultan Qaboos University and has started her running of the camp. Like her father who started the business eight years ago, she is self-made. She is confident while talking about her aspirations and challenges to complete the business process at the camp as one Omani tourism products that attract tourists from all over the world for their love of living away from noise. The camp management looks for new ambitions that highlight the trademark of the camp and promote quality of services to provide added value to camp tourism so that tourists enjoy the beautiful aesthetic touches. The camp management try to maintain the status of the camp on the list of tourist accommodations in Oman. Wisal hopes to complete her university studies and devote all her time to the management and development of the camp to achieve the objectives of her father in making the camp reach such a high level to contribute to the promotion of tourism in the Sultanate. She indicates she is not unfamiliar with this project as it was raised up therein when the foundations were set up. She witnessed its gradual development until it has become among the most prominent camp accommodations. "At the present, the camp accommodates about two hundred persons. At times, new tents are added to accommodate any increase in occupancy," Wisal indicated. "Most tourists who visit the camp are German, Swiss, French, and European in general. Now, we have started to receive tourists from East Asia and the GCC. Citizens like to camp during holidays and the culture of camping away from towns started to gain momentum among them we naturally focus on internal tourism as being the foundation of work in tourism sector. We hope that it increases in the future," added she. Wisal also indicated that promotion is done through local media and there are foreign journalists who visit the Sultanate to write wonderful stories on the camps that show their essence and importance. Wisal added that the occupancy rate reaches 80% in winter (November- April) including corporate reservations for staff meetings and entertainment events during the season. This increases the returns of the camp that usually decrease relatively in summer despite that weather at that time is wonderful, especially at night. Wisal stressed that the camp focuses on quiet tourism that provides tourists with both relaxation and quietude. The camp also provides several activities such as sand surfing, horse and camel

riding, and folkloric dancing. The camp also provides tour guides for the tourists who do not like to cross 40 kilometers of the desert alone as well as various other services. Wisal referred to the aspect that the camp provides services through the nearby residents in the frame of social responsibility of the camp and providing chance for female artisans to sell their handmade artifacts. "Right now," Wisal said "I am trying to harmonize between study and camp management. I come on Thursday and Friday to oversee and see all details so that the issues are not left to the staff uncontrolled. I take all small details into consideration to make the project succeed and develop. However, among the challenges I face is how a woman can run a tourism project in the middle of the desert. This challenge may be a chance to prove oneself and overcome them on the way ahead." Regarding the problems camps may face, Wisal said that there are annoying groups of youth who come from Muscat on motorcycles and go sand surfing causing annoyance to the tourists and risking their own lives. These young people are a challenge to the camp characterized by quietude. She indicated that this should be stopped so that camps remain safe and quiet oases all the time.