Tag: oman tourism

Omran, the investment arm of Oman’s tourism ministry, will end a partnership with Port Investment Ltd (PIL) that entailed redevelopment of the Sultan Qaboos port. Omran will buy the 70% stake it doesn’t already own in Muttrah Tourism Development Co., established to redevelop Sultan Qaboos port for $1 billion, Bloomberg has reported.  It will make the acquisition at “a value as documented in the shareholders agreement,” Omran said in a statement. PIL is owned by Damac International, which is a joint venture between Damac PJSC and DICO Group. Mina Al Sultan Qaboos Waterfront was designed to include homes, offices, hotels ... Read more

Oman has said that no fines are being levied for expired tourist visas until July 15, as the country is battling to stem the new coronavirus and prop up the economy. “Currently, there are no fines on holders of tourist visas in the Sultanate,” said Major Mohammed Al Hashami of the Royal Oman Police (ROP). “They can extend the visa electronically through the [ROP] website without the need to show up at the service centres,” he added, according to the Omani newspaper Al Shabiba. The exact number of such visa holders in Oman is not clear. In April, the ROP ... Read more

Oman recently won the prestigious title of ‘Emerging International Destination’ at the 13th Annual Today’s Traveller Awards that took place on 29th July 2019 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. On the occasion of its 22nd anniversary, Today’s Traveller hosted an awards night where dignitaries and celebrities came together in a common spirit of fellowship and camaraderie. The publication put together a grand show celebrating the spirit of achievement in various realms. “We are absolutely delighted to be recognized as an emerging international destination as Indian travellers are constantly looking at newer and unique locations to visit. Oman being an ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism, Oman successfully conducted roadshows in Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai on 27th, 29th and 31st May 2019 respectively, to strengthen its outreach among the travel trade fraternity in India. In an effort to retain the growth momentum of Indian arrivals into Oman, the Ministry along with destination management companies, hotels, attraction operators and Oman Air, the national carrier connected with over 200 notable travel & tour companies. The interactive platform with prefixed meetings allowed trade partners and travel agents to network and learn more about the diverse product offerings and experiences that Oman has to offer. The ... Read more

The House of Musical Arts that recently opened its doors in the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, is a remarkable addition to the opera house which was launched to promote the arts, intercultural dialogue and relationships with countries rich in heritage, and reveals Oman’s capacity to host world-class artistic and cultural events with the use of innovative technologies. Since the inauguration of the Royal Opera House Muscat, a wide repertoire of operas, concerts, musicals and other artistic and cultural events have been presented with huge success, both through collaborative relationships on an international scale and with the Royal Opera ... Read more

Tourism arrivals to Oman will increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5 per cent between 2018 and 2023 to 3.5 million, according to data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2019 (ATM), which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 28 April – 1 May 2019. Commissioned by ATM, the Colliers International data predicts the rise will be fuelled by visitors from India, who accounted for 21 per cent of total international arrivals during 2018. In addition, arrivals from the UK (9 per cent), Germany (7 per cent), Philippines (6 per cent) and the UAE (6 ... Read more

With an aim to enhance tourism in the area, Oman has unveiled plans to build the country’s longest zip-line in Al Hamra. The zip line will be operated in the Misfat Al Abriyeen village. The operation of the project will be shared between Al Masfah Company as the owner and Oman Refreshments Company as the funder. The ministry of Tourism will be the technical advisor and supervisor of the project. Al Hamra, a 400-year-old town in northeastern Oman, is located at the foot of the Hajar Mountains. Some of the oldest preserved houses in Oman, mudbrick houses built in the Yemeni style, can be found ... Read more

Oman tourism has established representation offices abroad to promote the nation’s tourism products abroad. These 14 offices of the Ministry of Tourism are targeting the most promising and competitive tourism markets of the world to Oman. These offices have been taking many significant moves to put Oman tourism on the world tourism map. They are introducing new tourism products among operators and tourists and trying to establish the Sultanate as an emerging destination. They have been organizing Meetings, conferences and exhibitions and offering incentives to attract tourists by various means, including cruise ships. Tourists in Jabal Shams, Oman These offices ... Read more

Gulf carrier Oman Air stated on Tuesday that it is in discussions with the Indian government for increasing the weekly seat entitlement to enable expansion of its services in the rapidly growing aviation market. The Oman’s flagship carrier, which has completed 25 years into the business, at present, operates 161 flights per week to eleven Indian cities, utilising the 27,000 seats allocated to airlines from each country. Oman is seeking an increase in seats and access to Ahmedabad and Kolkata, which will boost its Indian presence. Seat entitlements and access to destinations are negotiated between respective governments. “We are working with ... Read more

Salalah, the gateway to Oman’s most southerly governate of Dhofar, has been one of the sought after tourist places in the Middle East during the soaring summer season from 21st June to 21st September 2018. As per the statistics revealed by The National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI), 826,376 tourists visited Salalah during this period, citing a record hike of around 28 per cent against the same period in 2017. As per the reports, around 94.4 per cent of tourists visited Salalah for recreational and entertainment purposes.  779,703 tourists visited Salalah with this purpose during this period, which were 604,774 ... Read more

Oman’s Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has commenced its multi-city roadshow on October 7, beginning with Qatar’s capital Doha. The Tourism Ministry is also conducting mobile promotional workshops during the five-city roadshow. The workshops, set to take place in Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai as well. The roadshows and workshops will be attended by Omani tourism companies including Oman Air and SalamAir. The ministry has coordinated with its representative offices to invite about 100 tourist companies and institutions, in addition to the local media in the host countries. Introductory and promotional presentations will be made about tourism potential, services and products in the ... Read more

The Ministry of Tourism in Oman has decided to offer free Wi-Fi services on the go at five castles. Through a strategic partnership with “Omantel”, free Wi-Fi services will be installed in five castles. This application is designed with the characteristics and features that will attract tourists. The Ministry of Tourism has also signed a strategic partnership agreement with Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) on the infrastructure for the telecommunications sector and information services and broadband services for mobile internet and value-added services technology. The agreement comes within the framework of strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors to support the Oman ... Read more

Tourists to Oman can now obtain a visa for just five riyals, which equals to almost Rs 900 as per today’s exchange rate. Tourists were earlier required to pay 20 riyals whether they stayed back for five days or a month. The new decree aims to boost the tourism sector. Indians who hold valid visa to USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan and Schengen states can avail the Oman visa through an e-visa process by simply logging into https://evisa.rop.gov.om/. “Those who doesn’t have visas to the said countries, can get a sponsored visa by paying 5 Riyal plus processing fee through their tour operators,” ... Read more

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, is reviewing its route network with a view to further expanding its destinations in Africa. The airline already flies to Cairo in Egypt, Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar, and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Recently it has launched a four times weekly service to Casablanca in Morocco. The Network and Planning team is working hard to assess the viability of other new routes. Khartoum in Sudan is considered to be a potential addition. Considering the large number of Sudan migrants in Oman, Khartoum is a strong favourite to be amongst the new additions ... Read more

Though Cyclone Mekunu had an adverse effect on Dhofar coastline and caused some impairment to Salalah and other towns in southern Oman, the tourism authorities are not skeptical about the tourism sector. In fact, the tourism authorities believe that the cyclone has put Oman on the global tourist map. “This will bring about great promotion for the country as many tourists will come to Salalah. The heavy rainfall has led to overflowing springs and waterfalls in Dhofar. These will boost tourism, as many tourists will come to see the water bodies. We don’t have any problems in Salalah, and there ... Read more