The tender process will be open to international bidders and
start early next year for the construction of the bridge, said the official,
who declined to be identified.
“The bridge will lure tourists to Masirah Island to (see)
rare species of turtles like the loggerheads and greenbacks,” a finance
ministry official told Reuters.
Masirah Island is home to both species. Other turtles which
nest there are the hawksbill and the Oliver Ridley.
When finished, the bridge will be about 40 km long and would
be among the longest sea bridges in the world.
Oil-rich Oman attracts about a million tourists a year, 60
percent of whom come from other Gulf states. Earlier this year Omani company
Ominvest said it was planning to build a $1 billion tourism resort in the
southern port city of Salalah.
“We expect more revenues than predicted this year, though we
can’t say what percentage, due to higher oil prices than forecast for the 2010
budget. That way, we can squeeze in a project or two,” the official from the
finance ministry said.
In December, construction of the world’s longest sea bridge
linking Hong Kong to China and Macau began in a bid to bolster integration and
growth of the Pearl River Delta, China’s stricken economic powerhouse.
