MUSCAT, MAR 7 - As the travel, tourism and hospitality industry across much of the world is increasingly buffeted by the effects of the novel coronavirus, local players in the Sultanate continue to take heart from the steady inflow of individual tourists who have maintained their holiday plans in the face of the burgeoning global crisis. In contrast, group bookings and charters have all but dried up, dealing a blow to the domestic industry, market sources have told the Observer.
“Fortunately, we still see good numbers of individual tourists from Germany, Britain and Scandinavia, among other countries in Europe, arriving into Oman as part of long-planned holidays,” said an executive representing one of the leading travel operators in the Sultanate.
“They are aware that all of the coronavirus infections reported so far in the Sultanate are essentially importation cases, which means that the risk of exposure to the virus is infinitely low in Oman as compared to other holiday destinations. Furthermore, as tourist attractions in Oman are not associated with large crowds, international visitors reckon it’s a safer alternative to destinations with mass appeal.”
On the flipside, however, group bookings have all but disappeared, according to the executive. “This is more in keeping with a wider global trend witnessed in recent weeks. Group bookings associated with business forums, conferences and exhibitions have dried up as many of these MICE events got cancelled or rescheduled in light of the epidemic.”
The impacts from these cancellations are not only painful for local hotels banking on these visitors, but other elements of the local tourism supply chain, he noted. Also facing the brunt are eateries and pubs in these properties, restaurants, tour operators, souvenir outlets, car rentals and even local cabbies, he stated.
One bright spot, however, was a lavish Indian wedding that went ahead last week at a luxury property in Muscat. The private event attracted a large crowd of guests mainly from India, although some guests from the Far East could not attend because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, travel agencies are also bracing for a poor uptake of outbound holiday opportunities during the upcoming so-called ‘semester break’ – a roughly fortnight-long recess scheduled later this month.
“We are not anticipating a great deal of bookings for outbound holidays during the semester break as students may prefer to avoid the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Usually there is demand for holidays in competitively priced destinations in Eastern Europe or other parts of Europe during this period, but the epidemic is likely to play spoilsport,” said a representative of a prominent Muscat travel agency.
Several leading travel operators in Oman are making common cause with their counterparts around the world to encourage travel to destinations regarded as safe, a local travel operator said. “We are sharing information on the situation here in the Sultanate, the measures being taken by authorities to keep the virus in check, and the extremely low risk that tourists face during their stay here. For outbound tourists, we are promoting select destinations that are presently free of any infections.”
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