Oman most tolerant in Gulf Cooperation Council

Muscat: Oman slipped four places down in the HSBC Expat Explorer Survey 2016, but has managed to stay in the third place overall among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations.
Oman was ranked 18th in the survey, which saw Singapore take the first place for the second consecutive year.
Bahrain, ranked first in GCC, slipped five places to the ninth position, while the United Arab Emirates held onto the second spot in GCC even after moving down three places to the 12th rank, compared with last year.
Oman is ranked fourth in the world for the tolerance sub-criteria, beating its GCC counterparts to take the first place. Canada occupies the first spot for tolerance in the world.
Oman was also ranked third in GCC in the survey that included three major criteria, Economics (14th), Experience (15th) and Family (34th). Its low ranking in the family criterion could be attributed to the perception of poor education, childcare and experience of bringing up children in the country, among expats.
An HSBC respondent said living in Oman offers, “an opportunity to explore new places, gain new experience and increase savings.”
Another respondent said, “Oman has a wide variety of natural life: get a local guide/friend and enjoy your holidays or weekends with the family.”
A few respondents clearly reflected reasons for lower ratings of Oman to experience and the family sub-criteria. One of the respondents said, “Don’t underestimate the cost of living, and don’t necessarily believe your employer when he offers advice on housing and living costs. Housing, schooling and medical expenses can cripple you very easily if not inclusive. Local employers can tell you it is cheap to make you think your allowances will cover the cost.”
Sulhil Chalapron, a mechatronics engineer, said Oman is indeed an excellent place for expats. “Ranking high in tolerance is no surprise for Oman. It is one of the most welcoming countries in the world, where expats from different cultures and traditions can come and enjoy without feeling like expats. The foreign community is big here and it is easier to find expats and form relationships with them in no time.”
Another expat, Aamir Patel, a chartered accountant, noted that it is easier for expats in Oman to integrate with the local people due to their friendly and tolerant nature.
“It is easy to be a part of their culture and traditions as they are very welcoming. Only a language barrier is supposed to be overcome after which they welcome you themselves. ”