In order to tap the growing potential of Indian outbound, Oman Tourism has accelerated their marketing and promotional efforts in India. The Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman recently hosted 60 Indian travel agents and tour operators from seven Indian cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Hyderabad. This was Oman Tourism’s largest FAM trip from India so far.
During the trip, Indian partners were showcased Oman as a leisure, FIT, honeymoon and MICE destination. The objective was to give the agents first hand experiences of Oman’s tourism potential to help them sell the destination more effectively.
Getting ‘FAM’iliar
Indian agents travelled to Muscat, Nizwa, Sharqiya Sands, Sur, and Ras Al Jinz to discover and gain knowledge about the various tourism attractions and products of Oman. Agents were also taken to some high-end hotels to get acquainted with about Oman’s accommodation offerings.
Alongside the FAM trip, Oman Tourism also organised a workshop titled the ‘Discover Oman Programme’. The aim of the workshop was to give agents an in-depth overview of the country and its culture, as well as an impression about the ongoing and future projects; and to familiarise them with the destination. “Being at par with the needs and wants of Indian travellers is significant to us as the Indian market represents a huge prospective for Oman. Indian arrival numbers have been on a stable increase since the launch of our Oman Tourism office in 2010. Travel trade is a top priority for us as they are the backbone of any tourism industry to flourish,” Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Under Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Oman, said.
Adding to Al Mahrouqi, Lubaina Sheerazi, Head, Blue Square Consultants, the India Representative of Ministry of Tourism, Oman, opined that a detailed knowledge of Oman’s offerings is of fundamental significance in promoting the destination to the correct tourists/clients. Following Al Mahrouqi’s address, a panel discussion was organised to address the challenges Indian partners are facing while promoting Oman. The panel discussion was moderated by Philippe Georgiou, Chief Officer – Corporate Affairs, Oman Air, and participants were Nasser Al Rahbi, Head of Legal Affairs Dept, Royal Oman Police; Salim Al Mamary, DG, Tourism Promotion, Ministry of Tourism; Sunila Patil, Director, Veena World; Ashutosh Mehere, Sr. VP – Alliances and Special Projects, Cox & Kings India; Mahesh Morthy, Manager, Gulf Ventures; Issa Al Ismai, Executive Director, Oman World Tourism; and Lubaina Sheerazi.
