‘Visit Oman’ a key platform for tourism promotion

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has provided significant support to many initiatives introduced by tourism institutions, through which domestic and international tourism activity can be strengthened during the coming period. Tourism sector in any country represents one of the important economic sectors to diversify sources of income, alongside oil and gas revenues.
From this perspective, the idea of the national travel operator Visit Oman was launched as a strategic step to transform Omani tourism from a traditional sector into a modern industry based on technology and global marketing. This initiative can enhance tourism activity and become one of the key drivers of economic diversification, as well as a major source of employment, investment and non-oil income.
Omran, as the tourism arm of the Ministry, launched the national travel operator Visit Oman with the aim of strengthening Oman’s tourism presence globally. It was designed as a national digital platform that connects international tourists, travel agents and local tourism service providers in the Sultanate of Oman through a single gateway.
This initiative can have a major impact in the coming years by unifying the Omani tourism product on one platform. Today, tourists can access hotels and accommodation, organise tours, secure domestic transport, participate in marine and environmental activities; and attend seasonal events. This has made it easier for tourists to make travel decisions to Oman more quickly.
The concept has also supported small and medium-sized enterprises, including guides, small resorts, transport companies, campsite owners and heritage experience operators — to present their products to international markets without the need for massive marketing investments. This is one of its most important economic benefits.
It has also helped improve Oman’s global image by highlighting the country’s strengths such as safety, stability, diverse natural landscapes, authentic culture, mountains, valleys, deserts and by promoting the Khareef Dhofar Season.
In addition, the initiative has helped attract global partners by working with international booking platforms and travel companies. It has also contributed to introducing conference and event tourism into tourism programmes and marketing Oman as a destination for exhibitions and events, including partnerships linked to international technology and sports events.
This step can generate even greater tourism growth in the coming years. It can help double the number of international tourists and could increase annual tourism inflows. It can also position Oman as a centre for conference tourism by attracting companies to participate in activities at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre and stay in major Muscat hotels. Thus, the Sultanate of Oman could become a destination for regional corporate events and conferences.
The initiative can also achieve greater success in extending tourist stays by expanding from three nights to between seven and ten days, covering many Omani wilayats. This would significantly increase tourist spending and distribute tourism development projects across many regions, besides creating local employment opportunities.
This initiative is expected to increase bookings and demand, while boosting investor interest in establishing hotels, resorts, entertainment cities and other services; and cruise activities. Furthermore, it can support the development of a digital tourism economy through unified smart applications covering visa procedures, bookings, maps, payments, trip planning and translation services.
However, all these opportunities require continuous international marketing campaigns, competitive pricing for hotels and airlines, improved public transport between governorates, training of tourism personnel, expansion of annual events; and stronger links between tourism, culture and the local economy.