It's focus south India for Oman Tourism. With its eye set on attracting tourists from this side of the Vindhyas, the Oman Tourism team, launched its promotional programme, Opulence of Oman.
This renewed focus on India follows the rise in the number of Indian tourists in Oman in recent years. For instance, in 2011, there was an increase of 4.4 per cent in the number of Indian tourists visiting Oman (around 7.4 lakh), according to the Tourism Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman. Interestingly, the number of “premium travellers” increased by no less than 20 per cent during the same period. The ministry opened its office in India in 2011.
A road show, creating awareness through various media on all that Oman offers and aims at establishing Oman's presence as a “high-end destination for the evolved traveller”, which starts with Bangalore, will run for over two months in different cities in south India.
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Besides a lot of sightseeing — from dry valleys to oases and vast mighty mountains and golden brown beaches — there's a lot of shopping and trade opportunities. With its consistent focus on “sustainable tourism”, Oman has also earned the title of ‘Capital of Arab Tourism' for 2012.
The focus now is on projecting Oman as a leisure and luxury destination that offers a lot of adventure, culture and opportunities for retail therapy.
Lubaina Sheerazi, India representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, said: “In the last one year, we have seen an increased interest in Oman from this region and we plan to build on this interest through promotional programmes such as road shows, joint promotions, trade events and trips.''
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The new age traveller, she said, is opting for “experiential destinations that are short haul and have good air connectivity.”
The average flying time to Oman from Indian cities is around two to three hours.