Omran CEO highlights the sultanate's role in sustainable development at ULI Global Real Estate Conference

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        'caption' => 'Omran CEO, Wael Al Lawati.',
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Under the theme 'Building a Sustainable Future: Trends, Opportunities and Challenges', the conference brought together international experts in sustainable development and key regional leaders and decision makers to explore how global best practices and lessons learned can be applied locally.

'With the incredible pace of development across the Sultanate, we are deeply committed to sustainable tourism whilst preserving the environment and natural sanctuaries in the Sultanate,' express Al Lawati. 'By embracing all segments of the industry with the development of guidelines and criteria that seek to reduce environmental impacts, particularly the use of non-renewable resources, in addition to measurable benchmarks, we can improve tourism's contribution to the national economy and sustainable development. This is essential for the long-term success of the Sultanate which prides itself on being one of the ecological and environmentally-friendly countries with the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world.'
He added, 'This is an exciting time for Oman and we are presented with major opportunities to set the benchmark for sustainable development and tourism. With forward thinking and leadership in the responsible use of land, we aim to engage the market on means to cultivate a thriving industry.'

The ULI Global Real Estate Conference discussed global trends shaping cities and opportunities and challenges surrounding urban projects in addition to strategies for integrating sustainable practices into the development business model.

Interactive workshops also presented examples of some of the world's most advanced sustainable projects in commercial and resort development. Sessions were lead by Chandran Nair, Founder and Chief Executive of Global Institute for Tomorrow, a private non-profit organization dedicated to advancing understanding of globalization challenges in Asia and Peter Calthrope, who was named one of 25 'innovators on the cutting edge' by Newsweek magazine for his work in redefining the models of urban and suburban growth models in America.

Omran has been established as a fully government owned company to develop the infrastructure and facilities required to expand the existing tourism industry in particular the development of new resort villas, conference facilities, leisure resorts, golf courses and hotels as well as the refurbishment of some of the major existing international hotels.