JEDDAH/RIYADH —

As part of its intensive tourism campaigns this year, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism hosted a two-city roadshow in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as part of its series of tours of its neighboring GCC states to promote the Sultanate as an ultimate destination for regional visitors seeking a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience.

The KSA roadshow made its first stop at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jeddah on Oct. 9, 2018 before continuing on to Hyatt Regency Olaya Hotel in Riyadh on Oct. 10, 2018.

A delegation from the Sultanate, headed by Ministry officials, consisted of senior representatives from several leading travel and tourism companies and hotel establishments. They attended workshops where they met with local travel and tourism firms and agencies to explore Oman’s hospitality features and famous tourist attractions.

The Ministry-organized roadshows this year formed part of its core strategy to strengthen its partnership and cooperation with stakeholders. The KSA tour also served as an important opportunity to introduce the latest developments, including the opening of new hotels this year, in Oman’s tourism industry. The Ministry also took the opportunity to promote Oman as an ideal venue for international conferences as well as the growing incentive tourism segment in the Sultanate.

The state-of-the-art Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, a multi-story concert theater that can accommodate up to 3,200 people on three floors, was recently inaugurated to attract international artists and exhibitors. The center is equipped with advanced show and simulation systems as well as modern audio systems. With its expansive halls, it is also a fitting venue for world-class orchestras, global meetings and conferences, and large events and trade shows.

“Oman, particularly Salalah, has always been an ideal destination for Saudi travelers, and as such, we are always looking at further attracting more visitors from the Kingdom by showcasing the beautiful sites and unique heritage of our country. The recently concluded roadshow in Jeddah and Riyadh gave our tourism campaign a significant boost, thereby allowing us to not only strategically reach our target market but also to help realize the government’s goal of attracting 11 million visitors to Oman’s shore by 2040. For this year’s KSA roadshow, we established partnerships with local travel agencies to effectively and efficiently promote Oman to potential Saudi visitors,” said Salim bin Adey Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotion.

Saudi Arabia is a major source market for Oman. The number of Saudi tourists to Oman increased by 47.1 per cent during Khareef season which ended on Sept. 3, 2018. The roadshow also served as an excellent opportunity to let tourism partners in the GCC get acquainted with the Sultanate’s unique, world-class tourism experiences to encourage more visitors to come and explore Oman. In 2017, Oman welcomed more than 1.59 million tourists from the GCC market.

The Sultanate boasts of more than 21,000 hotel rooms to date. Over 400 hotels, including new ones that opened from January to August 2018, are presently operating in the country. These establishments include Muscat Plaza Hotel, Millennium Resort Salalah, Levatio Hotel Muscat, Fraser Suites Muscat, Kempinski Hotel Muscat, Alsalam Camp, and Al Dyafa Hotel Suites. — SG