[oman-l] Cold and New Hotel in Ibri!!

[Rashid]

1- It is freezing in Ibri

In Ibri, the mercury dropped to 7 degrees Centigrade on some days, against
a corresponding
maximum of 20 degrees Centigrade.The weather in Salalah was also cooler
than usual. Nighttime
temperatures slid to a low of 15 degrees Centigrade last Thursday, while
the average maximum
during the week ranged between 25-18 degrees. Nighttime lows in Thamrait
averaged 5 to 8
degrees Centigrade, with corresponding daytime temperatures hovering
between 18 and 21 degrees Centigrade. But with the chilly spell on the wane
over the past two to three days, meteorological officials say temperatures
are likely to register a gradual increase, starting next week.
Minimum temperatures on the summit of Jabal Shams had plunged to three
degrees below zero last Sunday, and the mercury level has since been
hovering at the zero-degree mark. Maximum
temperatures have ranged from four to eight degrees Centigrade during this
period. There have been no reports of snow on the summit, however. Saiq
village, nestled atop Al Jabal al Akhdhar, also experienced temperature
lows of two degrees below zero last week. Corresponding maximum
temperatures during the same period have been in the double digits.Nizwa
recorded a low of 8
degrees Centigrade during last week, while corresponding daytime
temperatures averaged 20-23
degrees Centigrade.


2- New hotel project in Ibri (from omanobserver.com)

MUSCAT - Work has started on the RO 1.2 million Ibri hotel project on the
main road near
Ibri's referral hospital at Seih al Masarrat.Its owner Said bin al Murshid
al Farsi said in a statement published in yesterday, edition of Oman Arabic
Daily that the project was in response to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos's
directives on private sector participation in the country's economic
development.

It would also provide much-needed services for visitors to the Dhahirah
region.He pointed out that it was the first private sector tourist project
to be implemented in the wilayat of Ibri in the year of the private sector
[1998].The hotel would be built over an area of 12,000 square metres and
would have 37 rooms, two suites, a hall for conferences and social events,
a swimming pool, a large restaurant, two coffee shops and a wide range of
other services.It would be in the four-star category, and would probably be
opened during the last quarter of this year.

Al Farsi added that it would provide job opportunities for people in the
Dhahirah region and help
boost tourism in the area.He said the existing Ibri rest house would remain
open until the new hotel was operational. The rest house would then be
improved and expanded.