Travel & Policies
Visa
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will assist in issuing visas to all participants coming from abroad to participate in the conference. Citizens from GCC countries do not need to apply for visas. Several countries required visa on arrival, to check eligibility and for more information, please visit the Royal Oman Police website https://www.rop.gov.om/english/
Travelling
Before travelling to the Sultanate of Oman please visit Oman Airports rules/regulation for recent updates at https://www.omanairports.co.om/news/en/update-on-travel-restrictions-related-to-covid-19/
Currency
Omani Rial is the currency of Oman. The currency code for the Rial is OMR. It has a fixed exchange rate of $2.59 per 1 OMR. Foreign currency can be exchanged at airport, banks or at currency exchange counters. For further information Please visit the Currency Converter page. https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=OMR
Transport
SQU is located approximately 25km to the Muscat International Airport (MCT) and limited pick and drop service will be provided, moreover, Buses and Taxi are available 24hours. Oman has one of the most diverse environments in the Middle East with various tourist attractions and is particularly well known for cultural tourism. The capital of Oman, Muscat was named the second best city to visit in the world in 2012 by the travel guide publisher Lonely Planet. Muscat also was chosen as the Capital of Arab Tourism of 2012. Other than Muscat, Nizwa, Al-Hamra, Sur, Sohar, and Salaalah are the major Omani cities. Please visit the Oman Transport Site. https://mwasalat.om/home
Time-Zone
Muscat is in Gulf Time , UTC+04:00.
Language
Arabic is the official language of Oman. Street names and generally most of the road and transport signs are in Arabic and English. Most restaurants have menus in both Arabic and English. But if there is something you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask as Omani people are kind and will be happy to help you.
Weather
December is a wonderful time to visit Oman because the weather at this time is generally excellent. Field trips into the mountains during December can expect temperatures of 20-205oC. Please Visit weather update https://www.accuweather.com/en/om/muscat/258638/weather-forecast/258638
People
Omani people are warm and welcoming. It’s not unusual to be invited into a local’s home after a day touring the mountains or walking through the local souk. It’s considered polite to take a small gift for your host.
When entering an Omani home, you’ll likely be greeted with the scents of frankincense and cardamom, and treated to Omani coffee, dates, and halwa – a local dessert made with saffron, dates, and rosewater. Coffee is served in small cups, which are refilled until the guest gives them a gentle shake to signal they’ve had enough.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Submission of an online registration is regarded as a firm booking and acceptance of these terms and conditions, however the booking will not be confirmed until full payment has been received. Payment in full must be received at time of registration and no later than 1 week before the date that the conference begins. We accept online payment only, please note that all transfer charges must be met by the sender.
PRIVACY POLICY
The personal information supplied in connection with this booking will be held by SQU as a record of attendees and parties expressing interest. By registering for this conference the parties concerned are agreeing that the conference organizers may use that personal information to contact them by email, telephone or fax, in order to supply information relevant to this conference, or about other conferences, events and opportunities that the organizers are planning and feel may be of interest to them.
CANCELLATION
1- Any delegate wishing to cancel their booking must notify SQU in writing. Cancellation charges will apply as follows:
- Before December 1: 30% of the delegate fee
- Between December 2 and December 7: 60% of the delegate fee plus any bank transfer fee incurred by SQU
- Between December 8 and December 11: 100% of the delegate fee
- Non-arrivals are liable for 100% of the delegate fee
2- In the unlikely event of the program being cancelled by the organizer, a full refund will be made. Liability will be limited to the amount of the fee paid by the delegate and there will not be any additional liability to SQU, event hosts or any other individual associated with the event organization.
3- In the event that the conference cannot be held or is postponed due to events beyond the control of the conference organizers (force majeure) or due to events which are not attributable to wrongful intent or gross negligence of the conference organizers, liability will be limited to the amount of the fee paid by the delegate and there will not be any additional liability to SQU, event hosts or any other individual associated with the event organization. Under these circumstances, the conference organizers reserve the right to refund the fees paid minus a 25% admin fee.