The Sultanate of Oman recently concluded its four city roadshow in India, with the event culminating in a networking evening hosted in Mumbai. The evening welcomed members of the travel trade, media, wedding planners and film producers, all of whom are important facets in the destination’s promotions in the Indian market.
The delegation, led by Salim Aday Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion, Ministry of Tourism – Sultanate of Oman and Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism – Sultanate of Oman, visited Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, and garnered great interest from the travel agents in these cities.
Addressing the attendees of the networking dinner in Mumbai, Al Mamari said, “The meetings we have had in India have shown that the market is easy for us to work with as there are historical and cultural ties between our nations. India is already the number one destination for medical tourism from Oman. We are, hence, optimistic about tourism relations enhancing year on year. Going forward, we will increase our efforts to raise visibility for Oman in the market.”
According to him, 2014 recorded 250,000 Indian visitors, a 4 per cent growth over the previous year, making the destination optimistic that it will grow in popularity among Indian travellers. “We expect tourism to become a huge contributor to our economy, and are therefore increasing our promotions in overseas markets. Our future planning is focused on India,” Al Mamari, and added that the intention is to attract elite, high end, quality and responsible tourists.
Sheerazi stated that the metro cities have remained a key source market for the destination, and several B2B and B2C promotions have been done to highlight Oman. Al Mamari added that, while metros will remain the NTO’s focus in India, it will also look to other cities. The Oman Tourism Strategy 2015-2040 will be finalised soon and will include a study of each market. The expansion of the destination’s marketing strategy in India will depend on this study and commence next year. The Oman Tourism Strategy 2015-2040 will be executed in five-year phases, Al Mamari said.
Speaking about the trends in the Indian outbound market to Oman, Sheerazi shared, “Awareness has been a big challenge for Oman tourism as the destination was always seen as one for employment and not leisure. We needed to rid the travellers of this perception. Since we opened the India office in mid 2010, numbers have grown by 36 per cent, with a steady increase in leisure and a small growth in interest from the MICE segment. Destination weddings have been the most recent addition to our Indian traveler profile.”
Al Mamari added that, owing to the growth in importance as a source market, the NTO has been increasing it’s budget for India by almost 20 per cent year on year. “India is among our top five source markets, and I want to make it number one! A comprehensive marketing strategy for India would mean an increase in numbers so as to meet this goal,” he said.
Speaking about their target segments from the India markets, Sheerazi informed that families, honeymooners and young couples, MICE, destination weddings and films are the major focus for Oman, while culture, nature and adventure are the highlighted experiences at the destination.
She further added that Oman is adding theme parks, new museums and new accommodation options to its tourism product offerings to better cater to markets like India. Furthermore, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is slated to open in 2016, which will feature a 3,200 seater auditorium and 22,000 sq.m. of exhibition space, among other facilities. The new Muscat International Airport will also be ready for passengers by Q4 2016 or 2017, Sheerazi revealed.
Officials from the Ministry of Tourism – Oman along with representative partners from the tourism industry of Oman, including Al Bustan Palace – A Ritz Carlton Hotel, Al Nahda Resort & Spa, Atana Hotels, Millennium Resort, Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Six Senses Zighy Bay, Bahwan Tours, Tour Oman, Zahara Tours and Oman Air were present at the roadshow.
