Sohar Islamic sponsored the “Smart Passport for Rose Explorer 2026”, organised by ELIF Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Innovation, as part of the annual rose season in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, Oman.

While the Smart Passport initiative has now concluded, the rose season remains ongoing, continuing to attract visitors and sustain economic activity across the local ecosystem.

The passport served as an interactive guide enabling visitors to explore event locations, farms, markets, and local projects, while offering opportunities to win prizes and rewards.

This sponsorship aligns with Sohar Islamic’s approach to supporting innovative initiatives that leverage modern technologies to preserve cultural and environmental authenticity, contributing to national development across key economic, tourism, and community sectors.

Fahad Al Zadjali, Head of Sohar Islamic, stated: “Our sponsorship of this digital passport reflects our confidence in national initiatives and institutional partnerships that enrich local experiences with broad impact. The seasonal passport represented both a marketing tool and a digital link connecting tourism, culture, and the economy, particularly during peak periods such as the rose season in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, which attracts multi-national visitors and generates an estimated market value of around OMR 210,000 annually. It highlights strong economic significance rooted in local cultural heritage and Oman’s natural richness. At Sohar Islamic, we follow a path aligned with national efforts to strengthen the Sultanate’s global standing, diversify income sources, and empower local industries and entrepreneurship, thereby enhancing in-country value in line with Oman Vision 2040.”

The passport functioned as an integrated platform combining both digital and printed versions, offering an interactive experience based on QR code stamp systems representing structured exploration routes, supported by a gamified digital journey designed to enhance visitor engagement.

The initiative encouraged longer visitor stays and reinforced Al Jabal Al Akhdar’s position as a model for sustainable smart tourism, supported by an advanced technological ecosystem including interactive maps, real-time tracking and analytics systems, and customised dashboards, in addition to incentives such as digital badges, discounts, and raffles, further enriching the tourism experience.

The project also contributed to supporting agri-tourism by connecting visitors with the value chain of Omani rose production, while stimulating the local economy through increased demand for seasonal products and services, including farms, distillation workshops, and hospitality facilities, with the broader rose season continuing to generate momentum for these sectors.

Sohar Islamic continues to expand its strategic partnerships and invest in high-value opportunities that benefit all stakeholders, reflecting its strong commitment to advancing national development pathways. Such national initiatives go beyond providing information and rewards to visitors, as they help stimulate local commerce and enable companies and entrepreneurs to access accurate data that improves business efficiency.

They also support the development of an integrated database of tourism attractions, providing decision-makers with smart analytical reports that enhance future planning, reflecting interconnected economic, tourism, and development dimensions.

Sohar Islamic reaffirms its continued commitment to supporting projects that leverage natural and cultural assets to create innovative tourism experiences, strengthening environmental connection and embedding sustainability principles across various sectors.

This sponsorship reflects its ongoing role in empowering initiatives that integrate technology with local identity, delivering sustainable economic and social value while reinforcing Oman’s position as a dynamic tourism destination built on diversity and innovation. -TradeArabia News Service