Oman is fast becoming one of the most favored tourist destinations in the GCC region, thanks to the government's intensive tourism campaigns led by the Ministry of Tourism. A senior official at the Ministry of Tourism said "we continue to see a rising number of regional and global tourists visiting Oman year-on-year to experience first-hand its hospitality and beauty." Elaborating the government's intensive tourism campaigns, the official said in an interview that coming to Oman has been made easy. To accommodate the growing visa applications, "our government has launched the new e-visa system, one of the safest systems in the world and this project aims to keep abreast of the technical progress, facilitating, and simplifying the process of obtaining visas. The expansion and transformation of the Muscat International Airport is a timely national endeavor meant to increase the airport's capacity in keeping with the steadily rising number of visitors entering the Sultanate. By 2040, our goal is to hit the 11-million mark in terms of tourist arrivals as embodied in the Oman Tourism Strategy 2040." Moreover, he said to sustain the government's gains, "we take part in international tourism events and travel fairs regularly to raise global awareness about Oman and what makes it a diverse and rich tourist destination. We aim to promote Oman to new international markets and position the Sultanate as a year-round, and not seasonal, destination." Besides, "we have also established close coordination and collaboration with the local public and private sectors to encourage them to help us in establishing unique attractions in all the Sultanate governorates that will reflect the genuine and fascinating Omani culture and heritage set against a contemporary backdrop." Excerpts of the interview follow: • What are you promoting /showcasing during 2019 to the tourists and what are the promotional activities for the GCC markets? We have lined up a number of exciting and fun promotional tourism campaigns and activities this year, including participation in events happening in the GCC region such as the Arabian Travel Market and Riyadh Travel Fair. These initiatives target local travelers, GCC visitors, and international tourists. For our summer campaign, for example, we are going to hype our famous summer destinations, including Jebel Akhdar, Khareef Dhofar, Al Ashkharah, Jebel Shams, and the coasts of Dhofar and the central provinces that offer the much-required break. In addition, other Omani areas are also being promoted. For the GCC market, we are in constant collaboration with the regional and global online travel agents to come up with special and unique travel packages. The Ministry's social media and digital campaigns for summer and winter seasons are also crucial to our campaigns specific to the region. Part of our campaigns is to fly influencers and their families to Oman, making them our partners in promoting the Sultanate. Furthermore, the iconic IRONMAN 70.3 triathlon competition was recently held in Muscat for the very first time, attracting attention from adventure seekers worldwide. In addition, the Ministry will utilize participation in various leading roadshows and exhibition platforms such as WTM London, ITB Berlin and ATM to create more awareness on Oman's varied tourism offerings. The participation in such leading events helps us connect with a diverse range of audience and explore new markets. In addition to the above, the Ministry, in cooperation with other governmental bodies and private sector entities, hosts the tour of Oman event every year. Launched in 2010, the event is celebrating its 10th edition this year. • How was the performance in 2018 and what are the expectations this year? In 2018, we welcomed more than 1.4 million GCC citizens. This number is initial, and we hope this will increase further in 2019. The total number of tourists was recorded at more than 3 million, while cruise ship passengers who visited the Sultanate is more than 190,000. • Can you tell more about the upcoming developments and projects taking place to enhance the tourism sector in Oman during 2019? A number of significant projects that will strongly benefit the sector are now in the pipeline this year and beyond, while several current tourism developments are expected to finish their initial phase of implementation in 2019. The hospitality and tourism sectors are steadily booming in Oman, resulting in the construction of more advanced facilities and better infrastructure, creation of new jobs for the country's citizens and residents, and entry of substantial local, regional, and global investments. In adition, 31 hotels, including motels and resorts, are expected to open in 2019, adding a total of 3,264 rooms to the country. Besides, 21 apartments in various categories, with a total capacity of 559 apartments and 1 tourist camp are also being developed apart from 13 green lodges, 18 guest houses and 2 Heritage House projects with a capacity of 22 rooms. During 2017-2018, the number of hotels grew by 12.3 per cent, resulting in a 7.8 per cent growth in number of rooms. The most astounding is the growth in the number of Khareef Salalah visitors, which was recorded at 28 percent. • What is the current profile of visitors flying or going to Oman? Are there any plans to expand your reach to other traveler's segments? The Ministry targets a variety of segments based on the profile of our visitors. These include adventure tourism, cultural tourism, family tourism, and business and corporate tourism and other tourism purposes. Oman's key source markets are its neighboring GCC countries, which accounted for 48 per cent of the total tourists who visited Oman in 2016; followed by other key markets such as India, German, UK, France and other sources markets. With the expansion of the number of Ministry's tourism market-based representatives this year, we hope to reach more countries in the near future and increasing direct flights to and from Oman and diversifying our tourism offerings to include leisure travel and MICE segments, among others. — SG
