In order to promote Oman as a MICE and wedding destination in the Indian market, the Sultanate of Oman, Ministry of Tourism recently organised a networking evening called ‘Discover the opulence of Oman: The emerging MICE and Wedding destination’ in Mumbai. Over 70 representatives from the FMCG, insurance, banking and healthcare sectors attended the event.
The evening also saw a panel discussion being held on the ‘USP of an emerging destination for organising MICE Events and Destination Weddings’. The panel consisted of Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman; Sushil Wadhwa, Founder & CMD, Platinum World Group; Hriday Daswaney, Director, Viwaha Dreamz and Bhupesh Kumar, Senior Vice President, Aon Global Insurance Brokers while the moderator of the session was Sheldon Santwan, Editor, TravelBiz Monitor.
Sheerazi said at the event, “Oman is a short-haul destination being just three hours away from India and is an unexplored, quaint and beautiful destination in the Middle East. It is a destination for the discerning and evolved travellers who want to experience something uniquely different. Oman has a beautiful communion of modernism and old-world charm that gives the country its unique character.”
Talking about why Oman will appeal to the corporates in India, Wadhwa said, “Many corporates who have done several international trips are looking for new destinations and Oman meets this criterion and also offers some new experiences. Good venues to host events and great connectivity with India make Oman an ideal destination for corporates.”
Daswaney added, “Every family that is planning a wedding is looking to do something different. This is the main factor why families are moving towards destination weddings. They are trying to find new destinations where people have never been to as guests lose interest in coming for a wedding if it’s a destination they have already travelled. For guests it becomes an all-in-one holiday where they may even extend a couple of days before or after the wedding and enjoy the destination. From that perspective Oman is brilliant for weddings as it gives the entire “new feel” to destination weddings.”
