Muscat - The Ministry of Tourism has announced the tender for Consultancy Services for the establishment of Oman Tourism and Convention Bureau (OTCB) that will help promote Oman’s image and position the Sultanate as a preferred destination for meeting.
The tender invites specialized consultancy companies and offices registered with the Tender Board and interested in subscribing to the tender may collect tender related-documents through the digital portal of e-tendering at https://etendering.tenderboard.gov.om.
"International companies and institutions non-registered at the Sultanate may subscribe to the international tender by submitting a formal correspondence regarding the subscription against the aforementioned fees, provided that they shall register according to the applicable laws in the Sultanate within 30 working days after having been informed of accepting their bids," tender details said.
Bids shall be submitted in line with technical requirements and specifications and enclosed with a temporary banking guarantee issued by a local bank or a foreign bank has a branch in the Sultanate at a value at least one per cent of the value of the bid and valid for 90 days from the date of electronic submission of the bid.
Priority shall be awarded to the Tender Board registered-companies in the category of small and medium enterprises and the he period of submitting the bids starts after the period of inquiries mentioned in the e-tendering system finishes immediately till the last date of submission of bids no later than 10 am.
Implementation Support & Follow-up Unit (ISFU) in its annual report said, "OTCB is increasingly driven by business, as countries across the world attempt to expand market share and increase tourist arrivals. To effectively market, Oman as an overall tourist destination, the National Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh) program had recommended to set up an independent Oman Tourism & Convention Bureau (OTCB).
"The independent OTCB will promote Oman’s image and position the Sultanate as a preferred destination for Meeting, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) in the international arena. The bureau will act as a focal point for all players in the industry and assist event planners to bid for, secure and stage international events successfully in Oman," the report said.
It will promote Oman as a leisure and adventure destination for distinctive travellers seeking unique experiences. The OTCB will enhance ‘Brand Oman’ using various platforms and channels like
digital media, PR, events and roadshows, as well as through international offices of the Ministry of Tourism. It will facilitate a full year calendar of events and work on the development of an e-concierge application as a marketing platform.
It was decided that the OTCB will use interactive marketing and will be financially independent in dealing with the promotional and marketing aspects of the tourism sector. The initiative proposes a range of activities related to the promotion of tourism which will position the country on the map of destinations for international meetings and conventions, the report said.
OTCB will also prepare bids in order to facilitate hosting international events. The implementation of this initiative requires coordination between the Ministry of Tourism and the OTCB, including financial and human resources allocated for promotional programs.
The OTCB will collaborate with several partners including Ithraa, Omran, Oman Air and other private sector institutions. A portion of the revenues from the tourism fees will be allocated to the OTCB to ensure that sufficient funds are available. However, it is envisaged that the bureau will eventually become financially self-sufficient.
The objective of the initiative in 2017 was to establish an independent Oman Tourism Board to monitor the progress of bringing all tourism promotion stakeholders under the aegis of a unified organisation, for the purpose of aligning the vision of the Oman Tourism Strategy and coordinating promotional efforts. It focused on monitoring the progress of launching the e-concierge application, which will be a comprehensive information centre for potential and actual visitors to Oman. In addition, the aim was to monitor the progress of creating the Oman Convention Bureau as an independent stand-alone unit as per international standards.
"Initially in 2017, a direction was given to the initiative working group to set up the Oman Convention Bureau prior to setting up the Oman Tourism Bureau. During the course of implementation, relevant parties have thought of instead of having two entities, they should be established as a single unit. Therefore, the concept of Oman Tourism and Convention Bureau came into being.
The proposal to establish the bureau was presented and approved during the Ministerial Committee meeting and will be escalated for approval in the first half of 2018. The Ministry of Tourism has also commissioned a private developer for the development of the e-concierge in December 2017. The developer is expected to be able to deliver the e-concierge in phases throughout 2018," the report said.
The focus for 2018 will be to obtain the necessary approvals from the cabinet to establish and set up the OTCB while initiating an efficient transition of its roles, responsibilities and resources from the Ministry of Tourism. The working group will also aim to launch the e-concierge application in 2018.
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