Muscat – As part of the road shows initiated by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to introduce and promote Oman’s tourism components in the Gulf market, the Ministry focused on the growth of tourists to the country, particularly from the GCC countries.
The Ministry pointed out that to meet the growing travel and tourism demands, a total of 82 hotel facilities were opened from January 1 to September 14 of this year, supplying the market with 1,700 rooms. Besides, there are projects under implementation that are expected to be opened during the last quarter of this year, and among these projects is the St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat hotel, which includes 271 hotel rooms. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is also preparing to launch the Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Muscat, and the international luxury hospitality brand Nikki Beach Global will open the Nikki Beach Resort and Spa Muscat, in addition to the opening of the Mandarin Oriental Muscat hotel.
Coinciding with the onset of the winter season, the promotional road show was launched on October 1 in Kuwait, under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Saleh bin Amer Al Kharusi, Ambassador of Oman to Kuwait. The road shows will continue until October 5, traveling to four Gulf countries – Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, with the participation of representatives from travel agencies, tour operators, hotel sector and destination management firms.
In a news report on the occasion, the Ministry pointed out that winter represents a special season for tourism promotion in Oman, which is characterized by unique tourist attractions, with low temperatures, pleasant atmosphere, and picturesque natural areas, including beaches, mountains, deserts, hot springs, caves, and valleys. These factors have placed Oman among the most prominent international tourism destinations in 2023, it noted.
The road shows aim to attract more tourists from the Gulf market in line with the objectives of the tourism sector strategy under Vision 2040, in addition to reviewing the importance and diversity of the Omani tourism product for the Gulf market. It will introduce regional companies to the Oman’s strategic tourism facets as well as the latest developments in the local tourism sector.
The road shows feature welcome speech and a visual presentation of the Ministry’s tourism representative office in the Gulf, in addition to joint meetings and workshops between representatives of Omani tourism establishments and their counterparts in the Gulf market.
It is important to note here that the revenues of 3- to 5-star hotels in the Sultanate of Oman by the end of August 2023 amounted to about OMR 138 million, an increase of 26.3 percent, compared to the same period in 2022. The total number of guests in these hotels increased by 27 percent compared to the same period in 2022, recording about 1.3 million guests at the end of last August.
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