The Sultanate of Oman is a country with great natural beauty, diverse landscapes, and amazingly hospitable people. The sublime beauty imbued with its rich culture and interesting heritage will overwhelm every visitor which makes it a destination one will never forget. Just like Oman, Omanis are distinguished by their great hospitality as they like to invite people and offer them the comfort of being at home, even if they are strangers. This makes Omani nationals the kindest and most welcoming people on Earth and believes in cherishing the heritage treasures endowed in Oman. This makes it enough to fathom that people of Oman have so much love and pride towards their beautiful country
Similar to every proud Omani, Ali had the vision to do something that truly defines the exquisite beauty of Oman. Having started his career in Toyota as a mechanical engineer in 2001, he worked hard to develop a strong network and made good use of his PR skills. After spending over 15 years of his work experience in various industries including corporate business, transport & logistics, tourism etc., he decided to leverage his network to incorporate his maiden venture, AFAQ Travel & Tourism, an agency that would showcase the culture and cultural heritage of Oman. Like every other entrepreneur, he had a modest beginning to his new enterprise. With sheer hard work and perseverance towards creating something big, he began expanding his venture which eventually scaled to great heights. Ali focused on building a strong clientele which he believed was the was the first step towards building a strong foundation to AFAQ Travel & Tourism.
Over the years, he established several contacts and networked with various British Universities and German schools in Oman. He organized educational trips for these students to explore the exquisite beauty of Oman and true experience of Omani culture. It was more than certain that the unexplored places in Oman will forever hold a special place in the students’ heart. During this time, he worked as a tourist guide himself which also helped him achieve in depth knowledge about Tourism and other operational challenges in logistics and tourism. Ali invested in himself and realized that self-learning is the key to attaining one’s goals and objectives in life. His stint as a tourist guide helped him evolve and improve on his weaknesses, strengthen his inherent qualities, and work irrationally hard to accomplish his vision.
Ali started organizing trips himself and made sure that he travelled with his clients as a guide. These trips helped him interact with people belonging to different cultural habitat which resulted in a major changed in his confidence at interacting with people from different countries. As years passed by, he purchased his first four-wheel drive; a Toyota Land Cruiser, which he used for taking his clients to various trips across Oman.
It takes years to build customers, and it takes a lifetime to build a fortune. In 2014, Ali decided to raise capital from financial institutions as a first step towards his expansion phase. However, none of them accepted his proposal for various reasons. Ali did not lose hope, instead decided to ride against the wind alone and kept working towards his dream. Until 2016, he did everything to maintain the upward trajectory of AFAQ Travels without any external backing from financial institutions. However, he realized that to expand further, it would require backup. Since, the financial institution worked failed, Ali decided to move forward with a partnership model. No sooner did he realize, Ali managed to find an Omani partner which helped him scale his business to a new level and become that person he always desired to be.
He is an adventurous person who embraces teamwork and focuses on being hospitable to each and every customer. All that is built in Oman that exists today, makes Omanis extremely proud of their history and for Ali, this is one of his major goals in life - promote Oman as a paradise on earth and showcase the undiscovered lands, its rich cultural heritage, and the natural beauty of Oman to the rest of the world.
Oman is quite possibly the most appealing travel destinations in the Middle East situated on the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula with a coastline of 1,700km from the Strait of Hormuz in the north, to the lines of the Republic of Yemen in the South. Oman has the booming travel industry in the Gulf where sky is the limit to explore Oman. With warm climate, shimmering sea waters and picturesque mountains, Oman becomes a destination worth choosing for. Its natural life and ecological highlights are outstanding, making it well known among travelers.
Even today, Ali is constantly evolving and working towards new innovative ideas and services that is best suited for his clients and travelers in general. Ali takes pride in Oman’s traditions and values and focuses on imparting these values to the coming generations.
“We are a part of this delightful world filled with beauty, appeal and adventure. All you must do is to explore, and not just visit.”