Best Travel Article About Oman Within the Past Five Years

Date: 12 Mar 2014

Oman Air successfully participated in the recently concluded travel convention ITB, Berlin, which is also referred as the World's Leading Travel Trade Show. This year's ITB Berlin sent out very positive signals for the international travel industry. This year also saw Oman Air giving away awards at the First Oman Air Media Awards, held on the sidelines of the ITB. This event was attended by the journalists community of Germany along with the top management of Oman Air.

The German people are keen travellers and Oman has always been a much desired destination for German tourists and the due credit of which goes to the many road shows arranged by the Ministry of Tourism Oman and the promotional campaigns undertaken by Oman Air. Sustaining these efforts are the initiatives undertaken by the Corporate Communictions and Media (CC&M) department of Oman Air in cooperation with the appointed PR agency in Germany, COMBO, that have been instrumental in facilitating the media members, spanning print, electronic and non-conventional media, to visit Oman and get a first hand experience of enjoying the natural, cultural and historical insights of the country.

Oman Air awarded German traTravel writers Adrian Pickshaus, Christian Haas, Linus Geschke and Peter Pfänder have received the first Oman Air Media Awards for outstanding articles about Oman. A special award went to blogger Yvonne Zagermann from Justtravelous.

The awards were made today in a special ceremony held at Oman Air's stand at ITB Berlin, Europe's largest travel show, and celebrate almost five years of Oman Air's non-stop services from Muscat to the German cities of Munich and Frankfurt.

Over the years, and at the invitation of Oman Air, almost 200 journalists have flown on the services, and have taken the opportunity to discover the rich culture and history, breath-taking landscapes and legendary hospitality that the Sultanate of Oman offers as a leisure destination.

The results have been hundreds of travel articles which have fascinated millions of readers, listeners and viewers, and have increased awareness and interest in the Sultanate. Oman Air has reviewed all the articles and has praised the quality of each of them. However, a number of them attrracted the particular attention of the jury and received awards at today's ceremony.

The categories included daily and weekly newspapers, online, travel magazine and special interest. An additional award went to blogger Yvonne Zagermann. Each winner received a certificate, as well as an Omani 'treasure box', created by Oman Air and containing a selection of fascinating items particular to the Sultanate of Oman. The winners are:

Winner, daily and weekly newspaper: "Oman - the Caribbean of the Orient", by Adrian Pickshaus, published in Bild am Sonntag
Adrian Pickshaus was honoured for his travel article in Bild am Sonntag on the 6th of October 2013. In his feature, he described, to a broad readership in a lively and engaging way, the 3,165 kilometer-long coastline, the white beaches, the superb diving opportunities and the abundance of fish. "Even though Oman has more to offer than beautiful coastlines and is rich in culture and tradition, the article fascinated hundreds of thousands of readers and introduced German travellers to the Sultanate as a beach destination", says Mohammed Al Shikely, General Manager Marketing Oman Air.
http://www.bild.de/reise/2013/oman/die-wueste-mit-kueste-32668882.bild.html

Winner, online: "Style destination Oman: See it before others do", Focus Online by Christian Haas, published in Trend destination Oman
Christian Haas published his Oman article on several leading internet news portals. His documentary "Style destination Oman: See it before others do", dated 16th of March 2012 on Focus Online, convinced readers that Oman is a stylish destination and why. In a very lively way, the article differentiated the Arabic country from its neighbouring countries by referring to its authenticity, landscape, traditions and architecture. He also informed readers about the country's history and how safe it is to travel within Oman. "The fact that Oman is also a green country is new to many readers", says Mohammed Al Shikely. "This article manages to surprise the reader and to overcome clichés." Christian Haas has published a number of articles about Oman in various media titles.
http://www.focus.de/reisen/arabien/tid-25195/oman-arabien-zum-wohlfuehlen_aid_720788.html

Winner, travel magazine: "Gulf lesson", by Peter Pfänder, published in Abenteuer & Reisen
Peter Pfänder's article, Gulf lesson, was published in the May 2012 issue of Abenteuer & Reisen. It is a multi-page photo documentary about the Musandam peninsula. The images of the rugged fjords and the unspoilt landscape fascinated readers and showed a little-known and natural aspect of the Gulf. The article also highlighted the outstanding hotels of the Sultanate, such as Six Senses Zighy Bay and The Chedi Muscat. The images of photographer Thomas Linkel expressed a fascination for the authentic charm of Oman.
http://www.abenteuer-reisen.de/reiseziel/oman/reportage/zauberhaftes_musandam

Winner, special interest: "Fish soup with a touch of whale", by Linus Geschke, published in SPIEGEL online
Linus Geschke's article describes a true snorkeling adventure and was published in various forms on the SPIEGEL Online website, in diving publication Unterwasser as well as in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper. The waters of Salalah, in the south of Oman, are home to native humpback whales – a very rare find which travellers can meet if they are lucky enough. The story tells about the unique encounter by a snorkelling group with this magnificent mammal. "Truly exciting", says Mohammed Al Shikely.
http://www.spiegel.de/reise/fernweh/tauchen-in-oman-fischsuppe-mit-waleinlage-a-816409.html

Special award, travel blog: "Muscat, a city between the times" from, "The faces of Oman – a photo documentary", by Yvonne Zagermann, published in Justtravelous
Yvonne Zagermann published a number of articles about the destination of Oman, including texts, images and a movie, on the well-known blog Justtravelous.com, in February 2012. In "Muscat, a city between the times", she described the capital itself, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos's palace, Muttrah Souq and the Grand Mosque, and in her image gallery, "Faces of Oman", she exhibited photographs of Omani citizens. In her video "About camels and myself, or How to fall off the camel in an elegant way", Yvonne Zagermann managed to entertain her social community, whilst also encouraging interactive engagement about Oman. "Travel blogs enable bloggers to show a destination with all its facets and from a personal perspective – Yvonne Zagermann uses elements of reportage as well as the fun factor, for example when she rides on the back of a camel", says Mohammed Al Shikely,
http://www.justtravelous.com/2012/03/camels-me-or-how-to-look-elegant-when-falling-off-a-camel/
http://www.justtravelous.com/?s=oman&lang=de

Mohammed Al Shikely concluded:
"It has been an honour to host the First Omani Media Awards during ITB Berlin, and to recognize both the exceptional talent at work in the German travel media, and the awe-inspiring source of inspiration that Oman provides for journalists. We woukld like to congratulate the all winners, as well as the very many other journalists across Germany who have helped to raise awareness of Oman, celebrated the many wonderful attractions that the country offers to visitors, and set an extremely high standard in travel writing. We look forward to reading the many articles that we know will be published about Oman over the coming year and to recognizing future talent in the years to come."