Page 36 - Panorama Eng

BRIGHT BEGININNGS Panorama Issue 2 / Summer 2020 36
ZAREE OMANI CULTURAL AMBASSADORS
Awaiting tourists as they disembark from their cruise ships calling at
Khasab Port is a pavilion set up just outside the port by Zaree, an all-female micro-tourism business, where authentic Omani hospitality takes on a whole new resonance, creating a cultural bridge between Oman and the world.
Amid the traditional splendour of the tourist pavilion, the international visitors are treated to all of the distinctive characteristics of Omani hospitality in the form of generous servings of traditional Omani coffee and dates and confections that are popular in the region. Women tourists can get their hands decorated with some exquisite henna art while others browse through a collection of richly embroidered traditional Omani women’s garments that are on display.
The Zaree project was launched more than seven years ago as an initiative by OMRAN Group, supported by the Ministry of Tourism, to help open up small-scale business and entrepreneurial opportunities for local women in the tourism domain.
Since the launch of the project, Zaree has opened up new opportunities for its members. Some have been trained to teach the art of traditional cooking to interested tourists. Others were equipped to provide catering services to tour companies with the accent on traditional cuisine and dishes.
This is in addition to their specialist skills in handcrafting, embroidery, handmade incense, traditional garmenting, and so on, the products of which are offered to tourists to take away as souvenirs.