Masirah tourism industry eyes guests from the GCC
Times News Service MUSCAT: Though Oman is one of the tourist hot spots of the Arabian peninsula, the island of Masirah is barely known among the GCC travellers.
With the aim of strengthening Masirah’s tourism industry, officials from Masirah took part in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, last month.
“The ATM has always been an important platform for us to establish ties with our existing and potential business partners. Masirah is gradually making its mark as a promising tourist destination in Oman,” said Vijay Kumar Handa, general manager of Masira Island Resort.
Masirah Island, located 15 kilometres off the southeast coast of Oman in Arabian Peninsula, is slowly positioning itself to receive more travellers this summer.
“Summer is the right time to visit this beautiful Island in Oman as it hosts all four of Oman’s nesting species of turtles and is world famous as home to the largest population of loggerhead turtles,” he said. From May to September, you can see loggerhead turtles laying eggs. From October to November, baby turtles hatched from eggs are going back into the sea.
“The island is magnificently diverse and offers a wide range of nautical sports with excursions into the nearby deserts and hills. The island is off the coast of Barr Al Hikman area, and can be accessed by a ferry.
“Masirah Island is a great place for nature lovers. The island’s greatest attractions are the natural wealth of wildlife and the rugged coastline, which is home to many marine species, and is also a prime spot for surfing and windsurfing because of the high summer winds,” he said.
The Arabian Travel Market is the leading travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals from across the globe. The exhibition attracts high level decision-makers and buyers rep- resenting every aspect of the leisure travel industry.
“We have seen some good guest numbers from the GCC in the first five months of this year, with across-the-board increases. Yet, we are far from where we want to be, and we know we have all the right ingredients to be front of mind for GCC travellers when choosing their holiday destination,” said Handa.
“We are a safe, affordable and an easily accessible destination from Muscat International Airport by road. We are also a competitive destination, with some of the best room rates of the regional market, and we are continuously expanding and enhancing the visitor experience,” he added.