OMAN Air has announced the winners of the Oman Air Media Awards 2016. The awards celebrate the best of German and Swiss travel and aviation writing and recognize writers‘ contibutions over the past five years to the success of Oman Air and the destination of Oman. The winners of each of four categories of the awards were announced at ITB Berlin, the world's leading travel trade show on March 9. They were each presented with a framed reproduction of their reports, a certificate and a presentation case of traditional Omani silverware. In addition, an overall winner was chosen and was presented with two business class flights and five-star accommodation in Muscat. The winners of the two magazine categories were Ina Volkmer and Tina Bremer, whilst Marko Roth won the blogger category and Harald Schmidt won the online media award. Harald Schmidt was also named as the overall winner. The Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air, Paul Gregorowitsch, presented the awards. He said: "It has been an honor to host the Media Awards during ITB Berlin. They have enabled us to recognize both the exceptional talent at work within Germany‘s and Switzerland's travel media, and the awe-inspiring source of inspiration that Oman provides for journalists. "We would like to offer our sincere congratulations to each of the four winners., Ina, Tina Marko and Harald have all published outstanding print, online or video articles about Oman and we are delighted to recognize their work. "We would also like to thank the very many other journalists throughout German-language media 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. "This year's Oman Air Media Awards come at a crucial time for the airline. We are currently embarked upon an ambitious expansion program that will see Oman Air's fleet increase in size to 70 aircraft by 2020. Over the last year, we have taken delivery of more Boeing 737 aircraft, and have unveiled the first two of our iconic new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Oman Air's expanded fleet will enable us to introduce a wide range of new routes to our network, adding to the 50 destinations to which we already fly. "As a result of our expansion, Oman Air will be able to introduce many thousands more travelers from around the world to the unique and authentic charms that Oman offers to visitors. And many of those visitors will first hear about Oman, and Oman Air, via the media. "The Oman Air Media Awards are designed to recognize and acknowledge the very best of that media coverage. We look forward to reading the many articles that we know will be published about Oman over the next 12 months and to recognizing future talent in the years to come." Each of the winning pieces provided readers and viewers with a wealth of information about Oman and how to get there. Ina Volkmer, writing in Laura magazine, brought the desert to life in a colorful article which also featured the food offered at Nizwa souk and the warm hospitality of the Omani people. Tina Bremer's feature, published in Swiss magazine Bolero, described the balance that the Sultanate of Oman successfully walks between tradition and progress. It follows a road trip which takes in the capital city of Muscat and the modernity of the Royal Opera House, the rose gardens of Jabal Akhdar and a romantic desert camp. Hospitality was again the focus of Harald Schmidt's online feature for the reisestories.de travel website. Dr. Schmidt was invited to stay with an Omani oil worker and to experience life in the Sultanate. His article is rich in information about Oman, it history and culture, whilst stressing the friendliness and hospitality offered by Omanis to their guests. Marko Roth's winning entry in the Bloggers category of the awards was an outstanding film about Oman, which was posted at easywriters.de. The awards were organized by Oman Air's Marketing Department along with the Corporate Communications and Media department with support from Oman Air Office in Germany. Oman has long been a sought-after destination for air travelers from Germany and Switzerland. Oman Air offers direct flights to Muscat from Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich, as well as services from other European destinations, such as London, Paris and Milan. The Sultanate of Oman offers German-speaking travellers a heartfelt welcome, together with a rich history, authentic culture and breathtaking scenery. In addition, Oman's superb hotels and resorts sector continues to expand, providing guests with an enviable choice of accommodation and world-class cuisine. As a result, Germany and Switzerland provide a significant proportion of overseas visitors to Oman, and numbers continue to grow. Oman Air is the flagship carrier of the Sultanate of Oman and an Official 4 Star Airline (Skytrax 2011). Founded in 1993, the airline has since witnessed massive growth and has played a major role in making Muscat an important traffic hub in the Middle East, supporting the commercial, industrial and tourism sectors. The airline currently operates direct international flights from Muscat to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Tehran and Kuwait, in the Gulf region, as well as Cairo, Beirut and Amman within the wider Middle East region. In addition, Oman Air flies to eleven destinations in India (Goa, Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Jaipur); Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh; Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan; Kathmandu in Nepal; and Colombo in Sri Lanka. The airline also flies to the Maldives, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Jakarta, Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam. Its European destinations are London, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Paris and Zurich. Oman Air has codeshare agreements with a number of airline partners. These are: Emirates Airlines for services between Dubai and Muscat; Ethiopian Airlines for flights between Muscat and Addis Ababa; Royal Jordanian, enabling that airline's customers to fly with Oman Air between Muscat and Amman and Oman Air's customers to fly with Royal Jordanian between Amman and Beirut; Turkish Airlines for flights between Muscat and Istanbul; Sri Lankan Airlines, enabling Oman Air's customers to book with Sri Lankan Airlines from Muscat to Singapore, Male, and China via Colombo, and Sri Lankan Airlines' customers to book onto Oman Air's flights from Colombo to Zurich via the Omani Capital of Muscat; Oman Air has also codeshare agreement with Malaysian Airlines, KLM and Garuda Airlines. Recently Oman Air has signed a codeshare agreement with Thai Airways as well offering travellers better connectivity and increased choice.
