THE WAVE REBRANDS AS AL MOUJ MUSCAT

After 10 years of operating in the Omani market as The Wave, Muscat, it has been announced that the Sultanate’s leading integrated tourism complex will be embracing its local heritage and rebranding itself as Al Mouj Muscat. The new logo was unveiled at a press conference earlier this week and incorporates three key elements – the Arabic and calligraphy is used to reflect its Omani roots and also the rising number of Arabic residents in the complex, the typeface and colours are derived from the Ministry of Tourism logo, and the “M” is taken from the new logo of the UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim, which has a 50 per cent share in Al Mouj Muscat. “Today marks a new phase of the project’s maturity as we celebrate the depth of our Arabian heritage and the strength of our joint venture partners in an all-encompassing modern visual identity,” said Hawazen Esber, the CEO of Al Mouj Muscat. In its initial days, Al Mouj Muscat was thought to be a major attraction for Oman’s expat community, but over the years more Omanis and Arabs have invested in it. Today, the integrated lifestyle experience has appealed to people from 69 different nationalities with Omani citizens representing the largest single nationality. The falling price of oil is not much of a concern for Al Mouj Muscat, as David Stafford, VP of sales and marketing, said people were now switching from investing in the equity market to the property market. “We’re having a record year this year. We’re on target to having one of the biggest years we have ever had,” Stafford said. The rebranding is believed to strengthen the Al Mouj brand as it continues to add more variety in terms of a tourism complex with hotels, food and beverage and retail outlets. The much-awaited Kempinski Hotel is expected to open in the latter half of 2016 and Shaza Hotels is expected to complete its marina-front property within two years’ time.

2 Sep 2015