The North African nation of Morocco, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, on Monday opened a full-fledged Moroccan National Tourism Office here in a bid to woo Indian tourists.

“Morocco has a lot of potential in the tourism sector,” Mohammed Sajid, the Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft and Social Economy, said at an event to mark the office’s inauguration.

“We (Morocco and India) are open to each other’s cultures,” Sajid said, adding that “we can learn a lot from each other’s tourism sectors and create jobs”.

According to Sajid, the new office in New Delhi will help Morocco in planning various strategic promotional and awareness programmes to tap the robust tourism sector in India.

Also Read: This Summer, Pilgrimage On Indian Tourists’ Minds

He said that his ministry and the Indian Tourism Ministry also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) earlier in the day. “We are going to sign an agreement on air transport between Air India and Royal Air Maroc,” Sajid stated.

Stating that Morocco has 17 tourism promotion offices in the world, Adel El Fakir, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Moroccan National Tourist Office, said that the newest office in New Delhi “is a very strategic office for us”. “We had 1.3 billion tourists last year,” El Fakir said.

Tourism remains a vital pillar of the Moroccan economy and the country’s second biggest employer after agriculture. Indian tourists are known to be among the world’s highest-spending globetrotters.

“Their spending power has been estimated to be four times that of the Chinese and Japanese which justifies the need for a planned strategic campaign for Morocco in India,” the Moroccan Embassy here said in a statement.

Estimated to be over two million years old, the Al Hoota Cave is one of Oman’s most popular natural tourist attractions.

Located off route 21 between Nizwa and Bahla at the foot of Oman’s epic mountain Jabal Shams, just two hours drive from Muscat, it is the first and only cave in the Arabian Peninsula which is open to visitors.

With a total length of around 4.5 kilometres, around 500 metres of the cave is accessible to the general public.

The one hour guided tour starts from the visitor’s centre with a short ride in an electric train that carries passengers up to the cave entrance. Once inside the cave, it’s a feast for the eyes as you walk on the pathway and witness an enormous subterranean cavern filled with stalactites, stalagmites and colorful solid rock columns.

Don’t miss the popular lion’s head, the cat, the old man and countless other intriguing shapes and an 800m long underground lake that is home to the rare blind fish – Garra Barreimiae and many other animal species like bats, arthropods, mollusks, spiders, snails and water beetles.

While the Al Hoota Cave is made of stone, it was created by water. Like many other caves in Oman, the Al Hoota Cave system was formed by the dissolution of limestone by acidic water.

When rainwater dissolves carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or soil, it produces a dilute carbonic acid that dissolves the limestone as it runs over it, thus forming the cave. Every 100 years, the water dissolves through 10mm of rock – so it takes a long time to create something as spectacular as the Al Hoota Cave! Fascinating features such as stalagmites, stalactites and of course the magnificent lion of the cave are formed by mineral deposits as water drips into or moves through the cave system. Some of the columns and curtains you will see in the cave have been shaped over millions of years.

Post the tour; also visit the geological exhibition for an interesting insight into the geology of Oman and an in-depth study on how these caves were formed. Owing to its delicate ecosystem, a maximum of only 750 people are allowed to visit the caves on a day, hence it is ideal to do prior booking. The cave is open to visitors every Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm.

One can combine the trip with a visit to Nizwa to experience the magnificent Fort and Friday market or see the traditional architecture of Al Hamra and the beautiful atmosphere of Misfit al Abryeen. You could stroll through Wadi Tanuf or do the rim walk at Jebel Shams before lunch at Al Hoota followed by an afternoon visit to the cave.

Every year hundreds of devotees flock to explore the holy destination seeking inner peace.

The peaceful environment of sacred religious sites helps people to discover their spiritual self

Confirmtkt, the train discovery and booking app and Travelyaari, the leading bus ticketing platform shares an insight on the must visit spiritual destinations in India:

Golden temple

The exquisite Golden Temple attracts pilgrims from all over the world, it is not only a central religious place of the Sikhs, but also a symbol of human brotherhood and equality. While the temple complex is lined with copper and marble, the shrine within was laid with actual gold foil by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the year 1830. It looks particularly arresting at night when it’s beautifully lit up, with its imposing pure gold dome illuminated. The temple feeds a vegetarian meal to over 100,000 people a day regardless of race, religion and class.

Konark Temple

The Konark Sun Temple takes the form of a huge chariot for the sun god Surya, with 12 pairs of stone-carved wheels and a team of seven galloping horses.The temple also symbolizes the passage of time, which is under the sun god’s control. The temple is known for the exquisite stone carvings that cover the entire structure.

Tirupati Temple

The deity here is popularly known as Lord Balaji popularly, and is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Tirupati Balaji Temple welcomes its devotees with mesmerizing grandeur and soothing and calm surroundings at the same time. The town seems to be blessed with an incomparable aura of piousness and spirituality. Its majestic appearance and architectural beauty captivate every visitor.

Rishikesh

Rishikesh lures those seeking knowledge and peace with its numerous ashrams and yoga institutes. It’s particularly popular with spiritual seeking foreigners, while Haridwar holds more significance for Hindu pilgrims. Because of their close proximity, many people come to Rishikesh and Haridwar in the same visit.

Varanasi

Ganga Aarti is a spectacular ceremony that takes place every day at the Dashashwamedh Ghat which is to thank and praise the river. The beautifully synchronized aarti here is a choreographed performance that is our spiritual version of Broadway. The fascinating thing about this mystical city is that its rituals are revealed openly along the many riverside ghats.

Ajmer Sharif Dargah

It is among the most popular places to see in the country and a preferred pilgrimage destination. It is believed that everyone who visits the Dargah is blessed and their desires get fulfilled. The most overwhelming sight is to see people from diverse religions bowing to the Almighty under one roof.