Oman tourism expo
“We have invited local representatives from many sectors, including adventure and outdoor sports, food and beverage, transportation and spa companies among many others, so investors will be able to see the variety of services available on offer.”
Mulyana hopes that Essence of Oman will one day be able to grow until it is able to rival the Arabian Travel Market, the GCC’s biggest travel expo, which takes place every April in Dubai.
“When we invited many of the companies, they said they would be attending the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, and we realised that so many companies from Oman are going there when they should really be attracting customers by promoting themselves here,” she revealed. “When companies from here go to Dubai, they have to pay a lot more for designs, travel costs, hotel expenses and the exhibition stalls so there are a lot more advantages here.
“Oman is a country that has so much to offer as compared to the rest of the GCC nations, because it has so much heritage and culture that the other nations maybe don’t have, and the people here are so friendly,” explained Mulyana. “In Oman, you can see everything from the deserts to the mountains to the seas and the wadis and there are so many things that people who have lived here for so long have not seen as well, so where else will you get this?”
Oman’s long-standing reputation as a peaceful and non-controversial nation would also help attract investment in future, she added. “Every tourist and investor wants to come to a country that is stable and peaceful because that means there is a better chance for businesses to be successful, and that is especially important in the case of tourism,” said Mulyana. “Oman has long been a nation that is peaceful this will definitely work in its favour.
“We have known for a while now that Oman is looking to move away from its traditional oil and gas-based sources of revenue, and since it has so much potential for tourism, I believe investment in Oman’s tourism sector will help in the future, because it will ultimately benefit the economy,” she added.