The purpose of this research is to examine the role, and understand the effects of, 4-Wheel-
Drive (4WD) tourism in the preservation of heritage in remote areas of the Al Jabal Al
Akhdar Mountain in the Sultanate of Oman, and how the communities of this remote region
can be helped to preserve their heritage. This region can only be reached using 4WD
vehicles, and visitors either drive themselves or join tours to become acquainted with the
area, its abandoned mud-brick villages, its oasis farming on terraces using the ancient falaj
irrigation system, and in particular the traditional rose water distillation process. In examining
how communities in Al Jabal Al Akhdar can best be helped to develop new sources of
income in order to encourage young local people to stay in the villages while at the same time
preserving their traditions, different perspectives were sought, although a local perspective
was the focus. For this, fieldwork was undertaken consisting of participation in guided tours
and personal meetings held with a number of local inhabitants. Some background information
was provided by the Omani Ministry of Tourism, but so far very little research has been done
into heritage preservation in the region, the focus so far being on developing four and five
star hotels to attract visitors, with little or no consultation with locals. Through the
observations and interactions that took place, it was found that these tourist developments do
not increase income for those who live on the mountain; rather, they take away from the
area’s sources of income. The conclusion reached was that locals desire to be involved in
promoting and preserving their heritage through the development of initiatives such as
guidebooks and using local guides in order to communicate correctly. All of this could be
developed by establishing socio-cultural initiatives that allow locals to create their own ideas
on how to generate income through community-based tourism. Local communities must be
actively involved in tourism projects from the initial planning stages, and eventually share the
benefits of the projects in their areas. Hopefully this can come to fruition before the
mountain’s traditions are lost.
2014.
heritage preservation, remote areas, 4-Wheel-Drive tourism, local initiatives.