Oman flyers continue to fly to Malayasia despite crash

Flight MH 370, the Boeing 777-200 ER disaster has failed to dampen the spirit of passengers flying to Malayasa as travelers  continue flying from Oman to Malaysia, despite the tragedy, said the

Malaysian ambassador here in the Sultanate.

The world’s media, however, remain gripped by the mysterious disappearance, now focused in the southern Indian Ocean, as the search for debris continues.

In 2013, some 29,000 tourists from Oman visited the country, and these numbers have not dipped significantly.

 
Dato Rustam Yahaya, Ambassador of the Embassy of Malaysia, Muscat, said, “Though it is a lean season, it is business as usual for tourists.”

“Omanis don’t require a visa to travel to Malaysia. But expatriates living in Oman require a visa to travel to Malaysia and, on average, we issue some 30 to 40 visas per day from the embassy,” the ambassador told Times of Oman on Tuesday.

Regarding plans for a memorial for Malaysians or organising a prayer meeting following the crash, the ambassador said he is awaiting instructions from Kuala Lumpur. “We will able to do something once I get a clearance from Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Travel agents, however, claimed that “some” tourists have opted out of their plans to fly to Malaysia, since the Malaysian aircraft crashed into the sea.

“But the number is not significant, as leisure and vacation tourism have also remained at the same levels,” according to one of the leading travel agents in Muscat.