Oman, which has recently gained favour among Indian leisure travellers, is set to tap the MICE segment as well. According to Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Oman, the MICE market in India is booming at a rapid pace and many destinations have benefitted because of this, including Oman.
“We foresee a growth in this segment of Indian travelers to Oman in 2014. To increase awareness amongst corporate and trade about Oman as a MICE destination, we recently participated in MICE Travel Mart (MTM) in Mumbai and will also participate in MICE India & Luxury Travel Congress (MILTC), Experiential Planner, MTM Delhi. We would also like to give the trade and corporate a firsthand experience of Oman and will conduct a FAM for top corporate and trade in the month of August,” she said.
In addition, Oman Tourism is looking to leverage on Film Tourism and Destination Weddings, which Sheerazi added are emerging trends in India. “We participated in the 3-city India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) earlier this year where we got the opportunity to meet several top directors, producers and production houses that showed great interest in shooting in Oman,” she added.
When asked about their plans for the year, Sheerazi revealed that the main aim will be to increase brand awareness. “Earlier, Oman was looked at by Indians only for its business and commercial prospects, but this perception has slowly but surely undergone a change. Today, luxury seeking Indians too are travelling to Oman to experience an off-beat destination.
She further revealed that Oman will be prominently present on the digital platform in 2014. In mid 2013, the destination launched its exclusive Oman Tourism, India Facebook page which has over 20,000 likes so far. They also regularly engage with fans on this page and provide them valuable information about Oman through Facebook posts. “We will also be conducting a blogging contest soon in the Indian blogspace. Through this initiative we want the well educated, evolved, travelled and adventurous Indians to travel to Oman and obtain more knowledge about the destination and promote it through their blogs,” Sheerazi concluded.
