Are roadside plazas needed for tourists?
An official at the Ministry of Tourism said the government is also encouraging development of three- to four-star hotels and hotel apartments to offer affordable staying options for both foreign and domestic tourists who prefer to travel in groups or families.
“Currently, we do not have enough hotel rooms in the country and the issue of pricing is directly related to supply and demand. Room rates will come down if there is more supply in the market.”
A tour operator who organises desert safaris feels there should be tour plazas at strategic points with
standards are outdated and most of with Muscat Municipality but the actual But safety experts say there has them are obsolete. The concerned electricians are these cowboys. Why? been a culture of poor fire safety authorities must also visit sites under Because contractors don’t want to awareness among workers and construction to check the licences of spend money on qualified people. restaurants, restrooms and business owners. electricians working there. They grab anybody on the street to do lodges at “decent rates”. “It is not just the owners of We also want a public awareness the wiring,” said Al Siyabi, whose
“Not everyone takes tour packages. construction companies who are drive to educate home owners to spot new house was under fire in March this These plazas year.negligent,buttheyalsoemploysubstandardelectricalsthatarefittedin will help avoid accidents O unqualified electricians. These so-called their homes. verloaded electrical units and poor at night,” said Abdullah al Balushi.
electricians are everywhere. They have There is no excuse for safety or fear quality wires are the main causes of A popular spot like the Wadi Bani no licence but they fit the electric of the system. We cannot have people house fires, say other safety experts. Khalid, which received 3,156 tourists wiring of the houses. Such houses then dying all the time while others are “Contractors also use low rating from different countries, including become a death trap,” Majid al Shaikh, profiting or simply not doing their jobs,” wires to take the load of higher rating 880 Asians, 206 Europeans, 52 Arab an electrical engineer, said. Al Shaikh added. electrical units to save money. For nationals and 28 from the GCC, He also called for an overhaul of Hamood al Siyabi said the electrical example, the water heater uses a needs better facilities. safety standards, including stiffer wiring of his house was done by people gauge of 15 amperes but they would
penalties for contractors who fail to who could not even speak English. use only six amperes that is normally The three- to five-star hotels
follow specifications for private houses “They could not even spell the word used for lights. In other words, a thin received 1.1 million guests till the end and buildings. This should include ‘electricity’ and yet they were wiring wire to power a high current electrical of September 2017, while there was a strict hiring of electricians as well and the house. They learn their trade from unit. Such house is destined to 17-per cent surge (13 million) in total broader awareness campaigns for the watching others doing it. Contractors catch fire anytime and kill someone. arrivals through airports until the end public. have this simple trick of getting Unfortunately, someone allows these of October 2017, compared with the “We have old safety standards unqualified people to do this cheap contractors to get away with it,” Al same period in the previous year. that need to be reviewed. These old work. They register qualified electricians Siyabi said. sleeping