OMAN — Oman Air participated in the recently concluded travel convention ITB, Berlin, which is also referred as the World's Leading Travel Trade Show. This year's ITB Berlin sent out very positive signals for the international travel industry. This year also saw Oman Air giving away awards at the First Oman Air Media Awards, held on the sidelines of the ITB. This event was attended by the journalists community of Germany along with the top management of Oman Air. The German people are keen travelers and Oman has always been a much-desired destination for German tourists and the due credit of which goes to the many road shows arranged by the Ministry of Tourism Oman and the promotional campaigns undertaken by Oman Air. Sustaining these efforts are the initiatives undertaken by the Corporate Communictions and Media (CC&M) department of Oman Air, in cooperation with the appointed PR agency in Germany, COMBO. Oman Air awarded German traTravel writers Adrian Pickshaus, Christian Haas, Linus Geschke and Peter Pfänder have received the first Oman Air Media Awards for outstanding articles about Oman. A special award went to blogger Yvonne Zagermann from Justtravelous. The awards were made on Wednesday in a special ceremony held at Oman Air's stand at ITB Berlin, Europe's largest travel show, and celebrate almost five years of Oman Air's non-stop services from Muscat to the German cities of Munich and Frankfurt. Over the years, and at the invitation of Oman Air, almost 200 journalists have flown on the services, and have taken the opportunity to discover the rich culture and history, breath-taking landscapes and legendary hospitality that the Sultanate of Oman offers as a leisure destination. The results have been hundreds of travel articles which have fascinated millions of readers, listeners and viewers, and have increased awareness and interest in the Sultanate. Oman Air has reviewed all the articles and has praised the quality of each of them. However, a number of them attrracted the particular attention of the jury and received awards at the Wednesday ceremony. The categories included daily and weekly newspapers, online, travel magazine and special interest. An additional award went to blogger Yvonne Zagermann. Each winner received a certificate, as well as an Omani ‘treasure box', created by Oman Air and containing a selection of fascinating items particular to the Sultanate of Oman. The winners are:
Winner, daily and weekly newspaper: “Oman — the Caribbean of the Orient”, by Adrian Pickshaus, published in Bild am Sonntag. Adrian Pickshaus was honored for his travel article in Bild am Sonntag on the 6th of October 2013. In his feature, he described, to a broad readership in a lively and engaging way, the 3,165 kilometer-long coastline, the white beaches, the superb diving opportunities and the abundance of fish. “Even though Oman has more to offer than beautiful coastlines and is rich in culture and tradition, the article fascinated hundreds of thousands of readers and introduced German travelers to the Sultanate as a beach destination”, says Mohammed Al Shikely, General Manager Marketing Oman Air. Winner, online: “Style destination Oman: See it before others do”, Focus Online by Christian Haas, published in Trend destination Oman Christian Haas published his Oman article on several leading internet news portals. His documentary “Style destination Oman: See it before others do”, dated 16th of March 2012 on Focus Online, convinced readers that Oman is a stylish destination and why. In a very lively way, the article differentiated the Arabic country from its neighboring countries by referring to its authenticity, landscape, traditions and architecture. He also informed readers about the country's history and how safe it is to travel within Oman. “The fact that Oman is also a green country is new to many readers”, says Mohammed Al Shikely. “This article manages to surprise the reader and to overcome clichés.” Christian Haas has published a number of articles about Oman in various media titles. Winner, travel magazine: “Gulf lesson”, by Peter Pfänder, published in Abenteuer & Reisen Peter Pfänder's article, Gulf lesson, was published in the May 2012 issue of Abenteuer & Reisen. It is a multi-page photo documentary about the Musandam peninsula. The images of the rugged fjords and the unspoilt landscape fascinated readers and showed a little-known and natural aspect of the Gulf. The article also highlighted the outstanding hotels of the Sultanate, such as Six Senses Zighy Bay and The Chedi Muscat. The images of photographer Thomas Linkel expressed a fascination for the authentic charm of Oman. Winner, special interest: “Fish soup with a touch of whale”, by Linus Geschke, published in SPIEGEL online. — SG
