Niche tourism

After two years of a lull due to travel restrictions, the Ministry of Tourism is all set to welcome international travellers with a slew of offers and incentives.

Officials in the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) told the Observer that the Sultanate of Oman will be a niche tourism product and is not for mass tourism. “We will welcome each and everyone who wishes to visit this country, but as a policy or branding, it will be positioned for a premium offering.”

A representative from Italy told the Observer, “The message is clear from several internal surveys that we conducted recently. The Sultanate of Oman need not follow neighbouring markets and what we need is a quality traveller who is ready to spend money here. We must have facilities that will ensure that these clients are comfortable and will spend more nights in the country.”

With lives restricted to homes for most of the last two years, some travellers have saved some money during this period and are willing to spend that on leisure and enjoy the freedom that comes from travelling places. “This is the right time to tap such travellers because they are looking for something new and Oman has already been among the must-visit places of 2022’’, a representative of the Sultanate of Oman in Germany said.

He added that it is important to have an aggressive campaign about the products that this market has to offer and not worry about copying other markets and competing with them.

Several representatives also told the Observer that people look for places that are safe from petty crimes or volatility. “Oman is certainly one of the safest best places in the world and there is no second opinion about this.”

One of the challenges for leisure travellers coming to the Sultanate of Oman is the limited air connectivity. Generally, tourists don’t mind spending a little more, but they want to reach their destinations on either side as soon as possible. It may be noted that direct travel has gained relevance since the start of the pandemic.

“We do not have direct flights from Muscat to many important markets in the world despite having a brand-new airport that can cater to nearly 20 million passengers a year. Take the upcoming World Cup 2020 in Doha for example. It will be difficult for many football lovers to get an affordable hotel in Qatar, and they will not mind staying in Oman on the eve of the game and returning immediately to the game. We don’t need to compromise on our traditions and culture, but certainly, we can have good restaurants that can open 24/7’’, said a representative from Finland.

Neighbouring cities with bigger airlines and capacity, which are also closer to Doha, will also try to tap the football fans bound for the World Cup. But Muscat has a special distant advantage, which is the city does not have a traffic density and it is easy to reach the airport within 15-20 minutes from the hotel.

“All stakeholders, especially the national airlines should ensure that they have enough capacity with convenient timings to meet this demand.”

Speaking to the Observer, Saada bint Abdullah al Harthiyah, Director of Business Development, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, told the Observer we will have roadshows and special packages in time for the World Cup. “With visa-free travel available for nationals of many countries, Oman will be an ideal tourist destination.”

Haitham bin Mohammed al Ghassani, Director General of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, said, “We must offer incentives to maximise the economic return from the tourism sector in cooperation with local partners such as airlines, travel offices and companies and any party that has direct contact with the tourism sector.”

Al Ghassani said, “We are working to enhance the effective and strong presence of the Sultanate of Oman in the foreign tourism markets by participating in the most prominent events, activities and tourism activities that are held in various countries.”

@vinot_nair