With nearly three years of presence and a focused strategy in place, Oman Tourism has been able to strengthen its foothold in the Indian travel industry and position the destination as a preferred choice amongst leisure travellers. In its fourth year, the tourism board is now channelising its efforts in creating inroads in the tier II cities of India.
Talking about its decision to enter tier II cities, Lubaina Sheerazi, India representative, Ministry of Tourism, Oman, said, “Oman has seen a very positive influx of Indian arrivals in the last few years. In the year 2012, tourist arrivals to Oman amounted to 35.6 per cent increase as compared to 2011. In the last 3 years, we conducted multicity road show in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. We felt we needed to tap Tier 1 cities of India first before we enter into tier II. Having established and promoted our destination effectively over the years in the metro cities, we felt this year we can penetrate into tier II cities of Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.”
The recently concluded road shows saw a stupendous response and interest and were well attended by travel agents and tour operators in each city. Through these road shows, Oman Tourism educated the Indian travel trade in the cities of Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad on the potential of Oman as an ideal destination for travellers looking for luxurious short haul vacations.
Sheerazi further added, “Indians connect with a destination like Oman as its rich culture, tradition and hospitality is something that they will identify with and appreciate besides its picturesque locations. Even Bollywood couldn’t resist its charms and Oman was beautifully captured in the recently launched film ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobaara’ which was partially shot in Oman. We had associated with this movie as an initiative to popularise the destination in India. Our future plans include promoting Oman as a wedding destination and to continue our association with feature films in India.”
The road show comprised of six delegates, namely Tour Oman, Oman World Tourism, Zahara Tours, Gulf Ventures, Radisson Blu Muscat and Oman Air.
