The annual
Arabian Travel Market roadshow series kicks off its 2015 calendar later this
week with the team heading to The Chedi Muscat on 19th February to
meet with key industry players to discuss how to optimise Oman’s tourism
development showcase at this year’s ATM.
Exhibitors from the Sultanate at ATM 2015, which
takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 4-7 May, include the Oman
Ministry of Tourism, which is participating with a 280-square metre stand and
Oman Air taking more than 82 square metres of space.
With more than US$ 3.3 billion worth of
high profile tourism projects currently under development in the Sultanate, the
country is rapidly expanding its existing tourism offering with luxury brand
leaders set to make their hospitality debut and a number of important tourism
and cultural projects also nearing completion.
“The
Omani government is focused on plans to diversify its economy away from
hydrocarbon receipts and the country’s diverse geography, its improved land,
air and sea infrastructure as well as its position as an under-exploited tourism
destination, has helped secure significant regional and overseas investment,” said Nadege Noblet, Exhibition Manager
According
to market intelligence from MEED, the list of projects planned or underway in
Oman includes four museums/libraries, 24 hotels and resorts, six malls/shopping
centres, one theatre, five sports stadia/leisure complexes, a theme park and
four convention centres.
Of
the top 10 projects currently under development in the country, which have a
total investment value of just over US$3.3 billion, luxury hospitality is a
major focus with Westin, St Regis and W all taking shape, as well as the new US$200
million Ritz-Carlton – The Muscat Reserve, and the high-end mixed-use Saraya
Bandar Jissah Resort (managed by Jumeirah Group), valued at US$840 million.
Supporting
infrastructure development projects include the long awaited Oman
“BMI
forecasts 1.14 million tourist arrivals to Oman thus year, up by 3% on 2014
with tourism receipts reaching US$2.24 billion, up by 5% year-on-year; and with
the delivery of high profile projects such as the Oman Convention Centre and
Saraya Bandar Jissah Resort pegged for 2016 and 2017 respectively, the
country’s key tourism players are shaping a unique premium destination in the
region,” said Noblet.
In its Oman Tourism Report Q2 2015, BMI
also highlights Asia as the largest market for
inbound travel with strong potential for future growth with arrivals set to
increase by 37.3% between 2014 and 2018.
According to official data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), Oman’s four and
five-star hotels saw a pick-up in guest room nights and revenues in 2014 with
the Sultanate recording 26.1% growth in the guest numbers in December against
the previous year and total year-on-year revenue growth of 10.3% rising from
OMR 150,486 million to OMR 165,970 million.
Current and potential exhibitors attending the
roadshow will learn about new event features including this year’s specialist
sector theme, which is family travel, and the popular Tech Theatre sessions
line-up, plus other marketing and PR tips to maximise their visibility at the
show.
The ATM seminars return covering travel
technology and other key industry issues such as luxury travel trends, business
travel, aviation, Expo 2020, CSR and mid-scale hotels. Also returning are the
visitor trails, helping visitors identify the specific travel sectors on the
show floor including: shopping, career, budget, health and wellness, air and
water travel.
The
2015 event will also build on the success of last year’s edition with the
announcement of an additional hall adding an additional 2,000 square metres
of floor space as Reed Travel
Exhibitions looks to add to its record-breaking achievements in
2014. Last year ATM saw total attendance increase by 12% with 33,000 participants,
from more than 131 countries and business deals signed worth more than US$ 2.1 billion over the four days.
For more information on Arabian Travel
Market 2015, please log on to: www.arabiantravelmarket.com
