Middle East Construction
Nizwa Public Park is formally opened after 1.3 million visitors in its trial months
By Staff Writer | 25 October 2026
Built for about RO 2.57 million across 150,000 square metres, the park in Al Dakhiliyah has more than 40 service and commercial units, and 15 of them are offered to private operators as investment opportunities.
Nizwa Public Park has been formally opened at a ceremony led by Shaikh Hilal bin Said al Hajri, the Governor of Al Dakhiliyah. During the ceremony the governor and guests toured the recreational, sports, service and investment facilities, and the governorate used the same occasion to launch its new audio identity, which draws on the rhythms of traditional Omani folk arts.
The ceremony formalises a park that has been in use since a soft opening on 23 April, and over roughly six months of trial operation it welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors, many of them families from across the wilayats of the governorate.
What was built
According to the governorate, the park cost approximately RO 2.57 million and covers a total area of 150,000 square metres. Inside it are more than 40 service and commercial facilities, including green spaces, recreational, sports and cultural amenities, restaurants, cafes and retail outlets.
Because the commercial units were planned in from the start, the project also carries 15 investment opportunities with a combined value of more than RO 718,000. Once let, those units are expected to create 50 jobs, and they are intended for private operators running services inside the park rather than for the governorate itself.
The opening of Nizwa Public Park marks a new phase of development projects within the governorate.
Shaikh Hilal bin Said al Hajri, Governor of Al Dakhiliyah
In his statement the governor said the park would meet community needs and open economic and investment opportunities, and that the governorate wants the private sector and entrepreneurs to take part in operating its facilities and services.
A public asset with private operators
Under this arrangement the governorate funds and builds the public realm, while the cafes, restaurants, retail and service units are offered to private operators. Since the trial months have already shown the footfall a tenant would be bidding for, the investment offer rests on measured visitor numbers rather than on a forecast.
A site of 150,000 square metres with more than 40 built facilities required a sizeable building, planting and fit-out package, and with 1.3 million visits in about six months, the paving, lighting, irrigation and drainage were carrying heavy public use well before the park moved to permanent operation.
What comes next
Where defects appear under heavy early use, they are cheaper to settle while the park is new than after the tenants are trading. For contractors and consultants on similar governorate schemes, therefore, the practical lesson from Nizwa is to agree the scope of any trial period, who maintains what during it, and when the defects liability period starts, before the gates open to the public.
Once the 15 investment units are let, the tenants who take them will carry much of the day to day operation of the park, so the letting is the next stage to watch.