OMAN focussing on MICE tourism
Oman is also taking strides into this industry’s future by investing in meetings, incentives and the exhibition sector. Although the MICE industry is still in its infancy in India, more training and education initiatives have been launched to leverage this sector. It has hosted various world events and is a popular destination for MICE among the GCC countries.
Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Oman reveals, “With Oman embarking in the MICE industry as a key growth market, the Sultanate’s tourism development and management company, Omran, is building the OMR 330 million Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC). The OCEC will open in 2017 and will provide state-of-the-art facilities to convert Oman into a competitive venue for major global and regional events. This will enable Oman to host major meetings, incentive, conventions and exhibitions events. The 22,000 m facility will be complemented with four hotels with a total of 1,000 rooms and a business park. Located 4 km from Muscat Airport, it will also act as a gateway to Muscat.” MICE is based on a service model which also helps develop other associated industries. Local employment opportunities also escalate due to this sunshine industry. With renewed focus and contribution to these countries by the MICE industry, as an international business and trading hub, there will be incentives setup to further MICE-related business enterprises in the future. MICE is on the rise again!