Oman takes centre stage at ATM

MUSCAT: Oman took a centre stage at the just-concluded Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019 in Dubai, further reiterating the exceptional tourist attractions as one of the most sought-after destinations in the entire Middle East. The Ministry of Tourism successfully concluded its participation in the 26th ATM, with thousands of visitors evincing keen interest in the country’s unique tourism destinations and packages. Many visitors in the Oman pavilion showed their keen interest in the Sultanate’s diverse natural, geographic and historic sites as well as the development in tourism infrastructure, which helped the country to achieve a unique position as a global tourism destination.

As many as 2,600 elite tourism professionals from across the world participated in the largest travel and tourism fair in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, which was held at the Dubai Exhibition and Convention Centre, the United Arab Emirates, between April 28 and May 1.

The high-profile delegation of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism was led by Salim bin Oday al Mamari, director of tourism promotions in the Ministry of Tourism.

Al Mamari headed a delegation of 24 Omani travel and tour companies, along with representatives from several government entities, which focused on promoting the tourism industry with the aim to increase the number of regional and international visitors. This is in line with Oman Tourism Strategy 2040, which targets to attract 11 million international and domestic tourists as well as to substantially raise the tourism sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP).

The delegation presented latest developments, services and tourism facilities in the Sultanate in front of highly-reputed tourism firms, strengthening Oman’s position as a preferred tourist destination in different seasons.

Elaborating on the Sultanate’s successful participation at the premier show, Al Mamari said that the huge turnout in the Omani pavilion underscores the country’s strong reputation as an attractive regional and global tourism destination, and that ATM this year served as an ideal platform to present the progress of its strategic goals, which include increasing the number of hotel rooms and launching quality initiatives that enhance the competitiveness of Oman’s offerings, reflecting the effectiveness of public-private partnerships.

Al Mamari, who highlighted the government initiatives to strengthen partnership between private and public sectors in developing tourism infrastructure, said that the Sultanate had attracted more than 1.4 million tourists from the GCC countries in 2018. Salalah city was chosen as the capital of the Arabian Summer Resorts for this year.

The Sultanate also highlighted its efforts to attract holidaymakers such as hassle-free visa applications, state-of-the-art airport facilities and the longest zip-line in the world. As the country prepares to welcome more visitors, it has made getting there easier than ever and that too hassle-free.

During the premier trade show, the Omani pavilion served as key platform for networking and meetings between government delegations, investors, businessmen and representatives of leading travel and tourism companies. The tourism experts discussed key opportunities for cooperation and explored the prospects of developing major tourism and hotel projects, which would further enhance the country’s attractiveness among Arab and international tourists.

Video presentations of the most important tourist and historical sites have also been shown at the pavilion, besides distributing brochures and publications to promote leisure destinations. In addition, the officials promoted some of the country’s most famous tourism services, products, ventures and facilities that have been recently opened.

The Omani pavilion also presented future and ongoing projects set to operate soon, with key focus on promoting Khareef Salalah season, as well as various campaigns and promotions by tourism and hospitality firms for the forthcoming summer season.

Further, the Omani delegation members at the ATM highlighted the spots where there is moderate weather during summer such as Jabal Al Akhdhar or the green mountains as well as areas on the southern coasts of the Sultanate. It also promoted activities held at natural destinations such as mountain tracking and marine sports.