One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it – Persian Proverb

We are back again, this time in much more detail, on laws governing ownership of property across the GCC, including Oman. Royal decree 12/2006 that allows non-Omanis to own property in tourism designated areas in Oman has opened up a world of opportunity for the property market in Oman. As those involved in the business told us, this law expands the market for such projects from a local one to a world market. The law here, as we have mentioned in our earlier issues, is far superior to similar property laws in neighbouring countries. Freehold, tenure, inheritance rights – every aspect has been looked into and meticulously dealt with. Now it is time to make hay for integrated tourism projects like The Wave, Muscat Golf Project, The Blue City and so on to get their message across to the world, that what Oman offers is truly yours to own.

Tom Peters was in Oman and many of you would have been there at the seminar. We have an exclusive interview with him this issue, and we were proud to be the media partner for this event. While the words may have changed, the basic principles that made sense two decades ago, still do. You know that an entrepreneur without passion is not worth a dime, that experience cannot be a substitute for enthusiasm and so on, and yet people gather to these seminars because they provide a reaffirmation that you are on the right track.

Oman’s biggest private sector event, the 8th Oman Awards for Excelllence is scheduled for May 13, when the finalists who have been announced this issue, will find out who makes the cut. This is another event that BusinessToday has been a part of, as a organising committee member, since the year it was instituted and it is an honour for us to help bring the sultanate’s brightest to the forefront.

Mohana Prabhakar
Managing editor