The Oman Air Website has been awarded a Gold Award in Travel & Tourism category for Oman Web Awards on February 16, 2007. Oman Air website has contested against more than 120 websites overall with more than 12 entries in Travel & Tourism category.

This event has already been considered by the industry as one of the top award programs.

Mr Habib Bhacker Habib, Head of Information and Computing, Oman Air said, ‘This is the second year of competition for Oman Web Awards. It was formed to distinguish excellence in web design and development skills. Oman Air and for the second successive time win in this prominent event. Last year we have succeeded Gold award in Transportation sector. We are automatically qualified now for next level of awards that is Pan Arab Web Awards 2007, where we will be competing with winners from other Arab countries for the prominent Pan Arab Web Awards competition. In the wake of honoring websites, Oman Web Awards is of increasing importance to wider international recognition. Since Oman has proved to be an ideal developing ground for e-commerce activities.’

He added, ‘Oman Web Awards promotes and drives the development of IT industry in the Sultanate. It also encourages and inspires greater creative Web designing excellence in order to highlight the innovations in the Arab world. A group of universities professors and specialists in the concerned field will serve as a jury in the election of best websites. These judges will vote according to special designated guidelines following international standards. The decisive factor for their judgments consist of the concept, creativity technical and ease of use, navigation content structure, visual design solution aesthetics and interactivity. The judging procedures will pass through two-phases in order to reach a correct and transparent grading. There is no doubt that technology and innovation are critical foundations of economic growth and development. Enhancing the impact of IT on the Millennium Development Goals is an enormous challenge, requiring a global response.’

Corporate Communications and Media Department affirmed that the use of more information technology is the shortest way to strengthen developing economies. It increases the prosperity and security of the world and livelihood. Technology is no longer an opportunity to keep pace with global trend, but a challenge is the interpersonal skills the need should be met. Services industry is the latest illustration of modern technology, and not confined to the information technology, but an industry, which broaden to the outside world. Free trade relies the quality of Technology by means of use, and that the Internet assists in creating high capability to compete at global level.

‘The Sultanate of Oman under the directions from His Majesty has addressed this subject with much attention, and Oman’s progress to date has been encouraging. Besides adopting the macro-economic policies in the country for ensuring a high degree of economic freedom conducive to enterprise and investment, the Sultanate formulated a national information technology strategy that sets the track of the path for the coming years. This is going according to the plan, so as to achieve Oman’s digital society. The Sultanate has an ambitious programme in place to deploy the international Computer Driving License (ICDL) to many thousand of young Omanis, which would enable them to acquire the basic skills in such field. Oman also recognizes the need for high specializations in the IT field at university and postgraduate levels. They concluded stating.
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