Facing page: Salalah during Khareef season Bottom right: Evening in Muscat
FACT FILE
Area: 309,500 square kilometres Capital: Muscat
Official language: Arabic, but English is widely used
Religion: Islam
With a diverse landscape featuring a wealth of natural attrac- tions and rich culture and heritage, Oman could be described as one of the region’s best-kept secrets. Next to its cosmopoli- tan neighbour, the UAE, the Sultanate is known for offering a more laid back way of life, luring travellers eager to explore its unique features, from wadis and mountains to world-class historic sites. However, Oman’s proposition is currently in a state of
evolution thanks to a strategic plan by the Oman Ministry of Tourism to grow inbound visitor numbers. By playing an active role in promoting Oman as an exclusive luxury year-round destination, it comes as no surprise that visitor numbers are enjoying robust growth. Oman attracted 1.6 million visitors in 2011, with tourism
accounting for 2.6 percent of the country’s GDP. The GCC market was a major contributor, showing an overall growth of 26 percent. Within that, the UAE featured prominently show- ing a 30 percent increase in terms of arrival numbers. Furthermore, a report released in March by Business Monitor
International predicts that visitor arrivals will continue to grow steadily by around six percent per annum with numbers expected to exceed two million by 2015. Over the same period, visitor expenditure is predicted to rise by 14 percent to US$1.365 billion. This coincides directly with Oman raising its profile as a
must-see destination, bolstered by a string of recent accolades that include receiving the Arabian Tourism Capital 2012 award and high praise indeed from influential travel guide publisher Lonely Planet, which named Muscat the “second best city on Earth to visit”. While the lion’s share of Oman’s visitors arrive by land,
national carrier Oman Air is taking a strategic approach to building foreign visitor numbers. Rather than trying to compete with rivals Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways on long-haul routes, the airline’s new business model focuses on serving traffic bound for Oman. As well as introducing an additional service from Salalah to Muscat, Oman Air has added two extra Boeing 737 services per week from Dubai to Salalah. Additionally, Air Arabia has started operating two Boeing 767 services per week from Sharjah to Salalah. Key to giving Oman a competitive edge among other des-
tinations in the region is its commitment to strengthening and expanding its hotel portfolio. Over 2,000 additional rooms are scheduled to open by 2013, with Muscat seeing the most growth with the addition of 726 rooms. Further to this, niche resorts are set to open in Salalah, Khasab and in the Hajar Mountains. Duqm, Oman’s new city on the Arabian Sea, sees the opening of three hotels with a total of 391 rooms. All this points to the fact that the majority of meeting plan-
ners’ requirements are now on the way to being met. However, that’s not all meeting planners have to look forward to.
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Natural resources: oil, natural gas, copper, fish, agriculture, tourism
Local time: GMT +4 hours
Currency: Omani Riyal, equivalent to USD2.58
Length of Oman’s coast: 3,165 kilometres
Highest mountain peak: 3,004 metres (10,000 feet) – Jabal Shams
Summer season: May to September
National Day: November 18
Rochelle Uechtritz
THE IMPACT OF OCEC The eagerly anticipated Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) is set to be com- pleted in 2016. Currently under construction, OCEC will be the ideal complement to the Sultanate’s offering, serving to further raise the profile of the destination around the world. Based on timelines provided by Oman’s
leading infrastructure developer Omran, the construction of OCEC is being planned in two phases with the five halls of the 22,000-square- metre exhibition centre due for completion in late 2015. The 3,200-seat tiered auditorium, two banquet halls and an additional 14 meet- ing rooms will follow in 2016. “The Oman Convention & Exhibi-
tion Centre will be the catalyst that opens Oman to the world of business events,” says Rochelle Uechtritz, AEG Ogden Group Manager, Convention Sales Development. “There are more than 200 international con- vention centres competing on a global scale and Oman is very well placed to attract sig- nificant world and regional congresses for a number of reasons. “Our message to decision-makers is to
consider Oman, not only for the world-class venue being developed, but for the diversity of attractions at their disposal. The Sultan- ate is a total package that delegates will be inspired to attend and an experience they will not forget.”
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