DESTINATION REPORT / OMAN
Turner’s advice for meeting planners? “Think care-
fully about the time of year as it can be extremely hot in the summer. Muscat is a great destination for incen- tives with various outdoor activities available – our local DMCs are expert at putting together new and exciting activities which bring guests a real taste of Arabia.” Located 45 minutes from Muscat, the Sifawy Boutique
Hotel is promoting its unique address within the contem- porary Jebel Sifah development, with 35 percent of its busi- ness coming from meetings, team building and incentives. “Meetings and incentive business in general looks
promising over the next few years and we are working closely with our international, regional and local partners in promoting Oman and Jebel Sifah,” says General Man- ager Daniel Fanselow. “With 55 keys, our opportunities may seem limited, but we have plans to expand with an additional 25 serviced apartments geared towards long- stay business guests and large groups. These would be perfect for incentives too. “Regarding OCEC, I’m sure we could benefi t from it
once it opens. The distance will be a challenge, but Jebel Sifah could work very well as a ‘splinter’ or ‘extension’ to the main meetings held there.” Currently, the intimate meeting facilities at Sifawy
can comfortably host anything from fi ve to 40 delegates. “We focus on offering our guests something differ-
ent as opposed to the traditional ‘corporate’ settings one would fi nd in a downtown hotel,” says Fanselow. “We are developing larger meeting facilities for up to 120 par- ticipants due, frankly, to popular demand. This meeting room will be set directly on the Marina promenade and just metres from the hotel and sea.” Like larger hotels in the destination, Sifawy works
with Muscat-based DMCs and their international part- ners to promote Oman on both familiarisation and joint marketing trips, most recently to France and Italy. While the true impact of the new convention cen-
tre remains to be seen, all signs point to a positive and signifi cant transformation. As AEG Ogden’s Uechtritz concludes: “Oman already has a sound reputation and proven track record as an ideal destination for meetings and incentives, as well as local exhibitions. We simply need to build on this success and let the world know, on completion of OCEC in 2016, that Muscat and the Sul- tanate will be ready to host signifi cant world events.”
70 / Daniel Fanselow
Above: Wadi Darbat, Salalah
SNAPSHOT OF SALALAH Oman’s second largest city and situated along a stunning coastline, Salalah is a 90-minute fl ight from Muscat. The city is currently upgrading its infrastructure, starting with a new terminal at Salalah Airport that will bring its capacity to one million passengers a year by 2014. The airport is expected to be developed further to accommodate up to six million passengers a year as demand rises. Additionally, master plans for The Medical City (TMC) were completed by design and engineering consultancy Atkins at the beginning of this year. Billed as the preferred destination for rehabilitation and medical tourism, the 800,000-square-metre site will be the largest private healthcare infrastructure develop- ment in Oman. There’s also the Salalah Gardens Mall, under development by United Real Estate Company, due to open at the end of the year. As the fi rst combined mall and residence development in Salalah, it will feature 168 serviced studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Branded as Salalah Mall Residences, the hotel will be operated by Safi r International Hotel Manage- ment Company, an affi liate of URC Kuwait. The project’s design is based on traditional Omani architecture with modern facili- ties and covers a built-up area of 86,074 square metres.
PROPERTY BOOM
There are a number of new hotels in the pipeline. A key development, however, is the Salalah Beach project which will feature luxury free- hold apartments and villas, its own shopping and retail outlets, fi ve fi ve-star hotels and two marina boutique hotels, two 18-hole PGA golf courses, a 200-berth inland marina, restaurants and cafés. Of course, existing hotels are now looking at ways to grow their share of the meetings business. “We are witnessing fast-paced development in Salalah due to the increase in government proj- ects,” says Anis Akl, Acting General Manager, Crowne Plaza Salalah, which receives 40 percent of its business from the corporate seg- ment. “The government is organising events and conferences with delegates from all around the world. We are working closely with our global sales offi ces to establish and develop relationships with these international companies.” With Air Arabia’s new Sharjah to Salalah fl ight, hoteliers are optimistic about receiving further traffi c and are working hard to promote their USPs. Crowne Plaza Salalah enjoys a prime location amid the city’s green farms and along a vast stretch of beach. “Throughout the year, the property maintains the highest share of business travellers to the region,” says Akl. “Therefore, we have decided to introduce more value add-ons to the corporate rate, such as free Internet access.”
JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY
Ideal incentives for groups include The Frankincense Trail in the Dhofar region, the plain of Jabal Samhan for its unique plant life and native animals, such as Arabian gazelle, foxes and the Nubian ibex. The Lost City of Ubar, which is believed to have been populated from about 2800 BCE to about 300 CE, is an archeological treasure. Salalah’s coastal location makes it an ideal spot for water sports, too.
“It is crucial to multiply the authority’s awareness campaign initiatives for the Dhofar region,” says Michel Sursock, General Manager, Salalah Marriott Resort. “Many attractions, such as muse- ums and nature parks, do not have websites, so their promotion is limited to media campaigns about Khareef. Media familiarisation trips and tour operator familiarisation trips have proved to be a very effi cient tool in pushing the destination of Dhofar, but there needs to be more of a focus.” Limitations aside, Salalah is undoubtedly mak- ing more of a name for itself. As Nader Halim, General Manager of Hilton Salalah, advises: “Do something different and be one of the fi rst international companies to discover the wonderful destina- tion that is Salalah – and even afterwards the delegates will be talking about the event… for all the right reasons.”
Michel Sursock
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