Interview to Alastair Sinclair, Regional Director of Crystal Lagoons for the Middle East
At Al Nakheel ITC, a project located in Wilayat of Barka, Oman, the works for a 12.6-acres lagoon powered by Crystal Lagoons® technology are already progressing on. The amenity will be the centerpiece of the complex.
Alastair Sinclair, Regional Director of Crystal Lagoons, explains that “around the body of turquoise waters there will be three hotels, 1,436 residential apartments, villas and houses, a commercial sector and a series of other facilities”.
How attractive is Oman as a market for Crystal Lagoons?
Oman is one of the newest markets in the Middle East that Crystal Lagoons entered. The first lagoon of the multinational innovation company in the country has already begun its construction.
The expansion of Crystal Lagoons towards Oman is to take advantage of Oman’s burgeoning hospitality and tourism market and the efforts made by the sultanate of Oman to boost sustainable tourism with new infrastructure projects with eco-friendly amenities such as crystalline lagoons.
Developing Oman’s tourism industry is a top priority for the government, investment is likely to see a number of recognized hospitality brands coming into the market. As investment in the country grows, as does competition.
With our crystalline lagoons we provide a viable, long-term differentiator that offers something unique to other developments, we ultimately deliver the wow factor!
What will be the contribution of the project?
The Al Nakheel ITC project, in partnership with Alargan Towell Investment Company, will enhance Wilayat of Barka as a major tourist hub, a destination that already attracts large numbers of tourists from the capital, Muscat.
Why enter a market recognized as one of the countries with the cleanest waters in the world?
Crystal Lagoons technology® provides a viable, sustainable solution, despite challenges such as water and energy supply, supporting Oman’s drive for clean water preservations through avoidance of contamination. Crystal Lagoons uses any kind of water including brackish from underground aquifers, eliminating the need to consume valuable freshwater resources.
Also, the cutting-edge technology uses up to 30 times less water than a golf course and half of the water required to irrigate a park of the same size. A manmade lagoon also uses 100 times less chemicals than a traditional filtration system and just 2% of the energy required by conventional water treatment systems for swimming pools and drinking water.