Oman gears up for increased tourist arrivals in winters
With temperatures in most of the governorates of the sultanate dipping, tourists from across the world have started to arrive.
From October to April, tourists flock to Oman to enjoy the beauty the country has to offer in the form of mountains, plains, vast deserts and a 3,165km coastline.
Saleh bin Ali al Khaifi, director, Tourism Promotion and Marketing, Ministry of Tourism, said that promotional campaigns of tourism firms, hotels and small and medium enterprises have led to more tourist arrivals and revenues in the winter season.
Khaifi said that by the end of 2018, the number of hotel establishments was 412 comprising 22,182 rooms. “These hotels are of various classifications and categories and spread in all governorates of the country.”
Khaifi said that tourism companies offer integrated packages for adventure tourism, camping and diving to woo tourists. “We are promoting Oman as a major all-year tourist destination.”
On the promotional campaigns, Khaifi said that ministry participates in international forums and events to target more tourists. “We have nine tourism representative offices to cover 15 regional and world markets in the capitals of European, Asian and Gulf countries. We organise tours for representatives of international tourism companies, host social media influencers and media personnel to disseminate information.”
Khaifi said that the ministry uses electronic means to promote tourism along with traditional methods. “Since 2016, we have a dedicated website for tourism promotion. It follows social media accounts in the targeted markets in various languages including English, German, French and Russian.”
He said that the ministry is working on a promotional campaign during the winter season targeting the local community comprising citizens and residents as well as tourists from the Gulf countries. “The ambit of the campaign is to expand to include other tourist markets such as
India and Europe.”
Khaifi said that the campaign will be carried out electronically through advertisements. “It will also be carried on social media channels, particularly on ‘Experience Oman’ account.”
Boost to hotel sector
Yousuf bin Mahmoud al Rahbi, general manager of Human Resources at InterContinental Hotels Group, said, “The tourism sector in the sultanate is seeing considerable growth and increased tourist arrivals in the winter season. During the season, the rate of occupancy reaches 80-90 per cent.”
He said that the InterContinental Hotels Group, with seven hotels in the sultanate, aims to provide high quality services throughout the year. “Our hotels are expecting to receive large groups of tourists and increased activities leading to rise in the occupancy level.”
Nawfal bin Hassan al Balushi, director of personnel affairs at the Ramada Hotel, Shatti al Qurum, said that in winters, tourist arrivals increase due to pleasant weather. “Similarly, the occupancy rate rises to 70 per cent. Our hotel provides high quality services, including escorting the guests to tourists spots.”
Badr al Yazidi, owner and chief executive officer of Panorama Company, said, “We plan for the season well in advance. Tourism companies are working to provide high quality services to tourists to satisfy their tastes and different age groups.”