Oman Air Announces Gold Sponsorship of Oman First Project
Date: 1 Jan 2012
Oman Air has been announced as the Gold Sponsor of Oman First, the project initiated to create the largest e-greeting card in the world for His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, will conclude in February. Hundreds of thousands posted their warm greetings to His Majesty, on the occasion of the 41st Glorious National Day.
Oman Air’s staff were among the first to upload their greetings to His Majesty The Sultan and the airline’s extensive support for the campaign includes providing the project and its organisers with 44 laptop computers. These were handed over by the airline’s Manager Government Relations, Khalid Abdul Wahab Al Balushi, at an event which was held at Oman Air’s Muscat headquarters.
The campaign toured Oman’s regions and governorates, giving members of all sections of society an opportunity to participate in this historic venture. The project culminated with Oman’s 41st National Day ceremony held on 18th November. Here, the e-card and a special book containing goodwill messages were presented to His Majesty. An exhibition followed, in which the diverse contributions of people from throughout the country was showcased.
It is hoped that the e-card will be the world’s largest, and officials from the Guinness Book of World Records have been invited to visit the Sultanate and view the project once it has been completed.
Usama Karim Al Haremi, Oman Air’s Corporate Communications and Media Head, commented: “We are immensely proud to be the Gold Sponsor of the Oman First initiative, which will pay respects to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of his accession to the throne. It will also contribute to Oman’s e-society initiative, which is being run by the Information Technology Authority.
“Oman Air is committed to supporting the life and development of the Sultanate of Oman and to assisting individuals to achieve their full potential. Oman First will help to promote the benefits of technology at every level of society and encourage people from every corner of the nation to engage with digital culture.
“It is also a wonderful opportunity for the people of Oman, expatriates and international friends of the nation to celebrate His Majesty’s leadership and guidance over more than four decades.”
The Oman First project will include a range of public and private sector contributions, such as a traffic safety campaign run by the Royal Omani Police, a drug awareness programme operated by the Al Hayes Association and the participation of a number of Omani women’s associations.
Usama Karim Al Haremi concluded: “People throughout the Sultanate are very keen to contribute their heartfelt good wishes to the e-greeting card which will be presented to His Majesty. Their contributions will also, we hope, ensure that the e-card is the largest the world has ever seen and we look forward to receiving verification from the Guinness Book of World Records.
“However, the greatest achievement of this initiative will be to have involved people throughout Oman in the development of digital communication and to have provided a new opportunity for everyone to celebrate His Majesty’s reign.”