Latest news with #VisitOman
Zawya
06-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Visit Oman a strategic platform to promote inbound tourism
MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman's national booking platform, Visit Oman, has been catering to over 155,000 tourists in a year, who spend and contribute around RO10 million to the domestic market. Speaking to the Observer on the occasion of the recently held Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Shabib al Mamaari, managing director, Visit Oman, said, "These numbers include tourists who have booked through our website directly as well as through our partners." Launched in 2021 as a subsidiary of Omran Group, Visit Oman aims to connect the accredited Omani travel supply chain, which includes airlines, hotels, transfers, tour operators, and experience providers. He said Visit Oman is also a strategic partner to the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) and, as a Business-to-Business (B2B) booking Engine, works in source markets in partnership with the national airlines Oman Air and Salam Air. "What we do is we provide our trade partners, the buyers, a fully fledged booking engine that gives them well over 200 products, 100 hotels, many transportation providers, among others. These trade partners can pick and choose from these products, buy them, and then resell them to the end consumer, the tourists. We're trying to make booking easy for anyone interested. But we're working with trade partners." On plans for Business to Customer (B2C), he said that it would require some years and also big investment. We feel the B2B strategy is faster and more reliable. Since its inception, the B2B platform has grown to 30 source markets and around 220 trade partners that use our technology in the GCC, India, China, Russia, Western and Eastern Europe, and a couple of them in North America, South America, the Far East, and Australia. We're very much focused on the region, India, and Europe, and we're expanding to Russia and China. Al Mamaari said, "All of our products are quality assured, which is very important. It's not anyone who can become part of the platform. Also, we provide travel insurance to all to cover all of our experiences, which is a must for the European traveller. They like to know if they send someone experience that they bought and resold to a consumer, covered by insurance. If there is an accident, if something bad happens, they need that. We provide it. That gives a lot of our users comfort, and also the fact that this is a state-owned company guarantees a level of trust." Apart from Oman Air and SalamAir, Visit Oman is also connected to 80-plus airlines. Not all of these airlines come directly to the Sultanate of Oman, and some of them come here via codeshare partners." On the revenue model, Visit Oman offers free services to clients, suppliers, and trade partners. It doesn't cost them anything, but we take a commission if there is a transaction. So we do the business development on behalf of our suppliers. We have well over 100 small and medium enterprises, and 80 percent of our suppliers are small and medium enterprises." PLANS "Last year, we launched a new technology that gave us Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C), which means business relationships in which two companies partner to offer services to clients. Now, we can push more products on the platform of choice. Let's say you don't know much about Visit Oman and need time to trust and understand the products. So what happens? You go to Expedia, you go to you go to the platform of choice. We're connecting to those platforms. This gave us a competitive advantage to reach a wider audience. Now, we jumped from 30 to 175 markets and from 220 trade partners to around 500 million users. These are not our users. These are the users of the likes of the biggest apps in the world. But now, because of technology, we're pushing that content and we're providing that content to many users," he said. On competing with big names such as Visit Saudi Arabia or Visit Qatar that do large-scale promotions, Al Mamaari said it's not about scale in terms of competing with the big brands. "We're more specialised in the B2B digital sphere and destination marketing comes under Experienced Oman." CHALLENGES: "We have a lot of competition in the region, and what we're trying to do is specialise and complement instead of competing with each other. We also look for niche products and different experiences such as scuba diving, swimming with whales. You don't do that anywhere in the world. Kite surfing was introduced by Omran, besides deep dive fishing, which we want to promote on a global scale." 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Observer
05-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Visit Oman a strategic platform to promote inbound tourism
MUSCAT, MAY 5 The Sultanate of Oman's national booking platform, Visit Oman, has been catering to over 155,000 tourists in a year, who spend and contribute around RO10 million to the domestic market. Speaking to the Observer on the occasion of the recently held Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Shabib al Mamaari, managing director, Visit Oman, said, "These numbers include tourists who have booked through our website directly as well as through our partners." Launched in 2021 as a subsidiary of Omran Group, Visit Oman aims to connect the accredited Omani travel supply chain, which includes airlines, hotels, transfers, tour operators, and experience providers. He said Visit Oman is also a strategic partner to the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) and, as a Business-to-Business (B2B) booking Engine, works in source markets in partnership with the national airlines Oman Air and Salam Air. "What we do is we provide our trade partners, the buyers, a fully fledged booking engine that gives them well over 200 products, 100 hotels, many transportation providers, among others. These trade partners can pick and choose from these products, buy them, and then resell them to the end consumer, the tourists. We're trying to make booking easy for anyone interested. But we're working with trade partners." On plans for Business to Customer (B2C), he said that it would require some years and also big investment. We feel the B2B strategy is faster and more reliable. Since its inception, the B2B platform has grown to 30 source markets and around 220 trade partners that use our technology in the GCC, India, China, Russia, Western and Eastern Europe, and a couple of them in North America, South America, the Far East, and Australia. We're very much focused on the region, India, and Europe, and we're expanding to Russia and China. Al Mamaari said, "All of our products are quality assured, which is very important. It's not anyone who can become part of the platform. Also, we provide travel insurance to all to cover all of our experiences, which is a must for the European traveller. They like to know if they send someone experience that they bought and resold to a consumer, covered by insurance. If there is an accident, if something bad happens, they need that. We provide it. That gives a lot of our users comfort, and also the fact that this is a state-owned company guarantees a level of trust." Apart from Oman Air and SalamAir, Visit Oman is also connected to 80-plus airlines. Not all of these airlines come directly to the Sultanate of Oman, and some of them come here via codeshare partners." On the revenue model, Visit Oman offers free services to clients, suppliers, and trade partners. It doesn't cost them anything, but we take a commission if there is a transaction. So we do the business development on behalf of our suppliers. We have well over 100 small and medium enterprises, and 80 percent of our suppliers are small and medium enterprises." PLANS "Last year, we launched a new technology that gave us Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C), which means business relationships in which two companies partner to offer services to clients. Now, we can push more products on the platform of choice. Let's say you don't know much about Visit Oman and need time to trust and understand the products. So what happens? You go to Expedia, you go to you go to the platform of choice. We're connecting to those platforms. This gave us a competitive advantage to reach a wider audience. Now, we jumped from 30 to 175 markets and from 220 trade partners to around 500 million users. These are not our users. These are the users of the likes of the biggest apps in the world. But now, because of technology, we're pushing that content and we're providing that content to many users," he said. On competing with big names such as Visit Saudi Arabia or Visit Qatar that do large-scale promotions, Al Mamaari said it's not about scale in terms of competing with the big brands. "We're more specialised in the B2B digital sphere and destination marketing comes under Experienced Oman." CHALLENGES: "We have a lot of competition in the region, and what we're trying to do is specialise and complement instead of competing with each other. We also look for niche products and different experiences such as scuba diving, swimming with whales. You don't do that anywhere in the world. Kite surfing was introduced by Omran, besides deep dive fishing, which we want to promote on a global scale."
Observer
03-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Oman Air, MHT working together to create travel hub
Dubai: The national airline, Oman Air, said that it is closely working with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) to position the Sultanate of Oman as a global travel hub. In a statement, Ahmed al Mahrouqi, Oman Air's Vice President of Sales, "We've had a good four days at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) that offered a platform for Oman Air to deepen partnerships and spotlight our strategic initiatives, including network expansions such as the launch of our Amsterdam route this July and double daily flights to London." The airline recently introduced a new stopover program with Visit Oman, inviting transit guests to pause in Muscat and transform layovers into experiences, he said. The four-day travel trade show brought together a record-breaking 2,800 exhibitors from 161 countries, alongside 55,000 attendees from across the world. At ATM, Oman Air signed new General Sales Agent (GSA) agreements with Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Othaim Travel & Tourism Company in Saudi Arabia and Nsas Avia Solutions in Egypt, strengthening the airline's presence in two key markets and supporting its regional commercial growth strategy. As per the first phase of the Stopover programme, visitors can choose customisable packages ranging from four hours to four days and accommodation at 3-, 4-, and 5-star hotels, which include transport and tours. The package includes a daily buffet.
Trade Arabia
01-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Visit Oman, TBO Holidays join forces to expand B2B travel trade reach
Visit Oman and TBO Holidays have announced a strategic partnership aimed at significantly boosting Oman's presence within the B2B travel trade sector. Revealed at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai 2025, this collaboration will launch a joint B2B campaign designed to promote Oman's diverse and authentic travel offerings across key markets in the Middle East and India. This agreement marks a significant step in strengthening Oman's B2B trade footprint and expanding its digital distribution reach through TBO Holidays, one of the world's leading travel distribution platforms. The initiative directly supports the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism's destination marketing efforts, and aligns with Oman Vision 2040 for developing a digitally enabled and experience-led tourism sector. The comprehensive campaign is set for official activation and rollout in Q2 2025, strategically timed to target Khareef Dhofar season, and the upcoming winter travel period. It aims to empower B2B travel agents and tour operators across India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Jordan with immersive knowledge and effective tools to confidently market and sell Oman as a premier travel destination. The primary objective is to establish Oman as a go-to destination for immersive, authentic experiences and to streamline the booking process for both group and FIT (Free Independent Traveler) segments within TBO's extensive trade ecosystem. The partnership leverages TBO's deep market penetration across over 100 countries and incorporates technology-driven engagement tools, including AI-backed personalization, to create a seamless flow where agents can learn about and sell Oman effectively within a single integrated platform. Shabib Al Maamari, Managing Director of Visit Oman, commented: "Our partnership with TBO Holidays marks a significant milestone in empowering Omani tourism providers and SMEs, a core objective of Visit Oman's Digital Travel Hub. We are committed to providing our local partners with digital distribution capabilities at scale, and this collaboration achieves exactly that. Integrating with TBO's leading global platform ensures Oman's rich heritage, stunning landscapes, and unique experiences, are accessible to a vast network of travel professionals across key source markets. This is instrumental in driving growth and contributing to the tourism goals of Oman Vision 2040." 'This is a timely and valuable opportunity for Oman to position itself as a well-rounded travel destination. Our goal is to showcase its diverse offerings to our travel partners and actively drive interest and bookings through focused promotion efforts,' says Vidhu Lamba, Vice President – Tourism Alliances and TBO Academy.
Trade Arabia
30-04-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Oman, TBO Holidays expand B2B travel in Mideast, India
Visit Oman and TBO Holidays have announced a strategic partnership aimed at boosting Oman's presence within the B2B travel trade sector. Revealed at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai 2025, this collaboration will launch a joint B2B campaign designed to promote Oman's diverse and authentic travel offerings across key markets in the Middle East and India. This agreement marks a significant step in strengthening Oman's B2B trade footprint and expanding its digital distribution reach through TBO Holidays, one of the world's leading travel distribution platforms. The initiative directly supports the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism's destination marketing efforts, and aligns with Oman Vision 2040 for developing a digitally enabled and experience-led tourism sector. The comprehensive campaign is set for official activation and rollout in Q2 2025, strategically timed to target Khareef Dhofar season, and the upcoming winter travel period. It aims to empower B2B travel agents and tour operators across India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, and Jordan with immersive knowledge and effective tools to confidently market and sell Oman as a premier travel destination. The primary objective is to establish Oman as a go-to destination for immersive, authentic experiences and to streamline the booking process for both group and FIT (Free Independent Traveler) segments within TBO's extensive trade ecosystem. The partnership leverages TBO's deep market penetration across over 100 countries and incorporates technology-driven engagement tools, including AI-backed personalization, to create a seamless flow where agents can learn about and sell Oman effectively within a single integrated platform. Shabib Al Maamari, Managing Director of Visit Oman, commented: "Our partnership with TBO Holidays marks a significant milestone in empowering Omani tourism providers and SMEs, a core objective of Visit Oman's Digital Travel Hub. We are committed to providing our local partners with digital distribution capabilities at scale, and this collaboration achieves exactly that. Integrating with TBO's leading global platform ensures Oman's rich heritage, stunning landscapes, and unique experiences, are accessible to a vast network of travel professionals across key source markets. This is instrumental in driving growth and contributing to the tourism goals of Oman Vision 2040." 'This is a timely and valuable opportunity for Oman to position itself as a well-rounded travel destination. Our goal is to showcase its diverse offerings to our travel partners and actively drive interest and bookings through focused promotion efforts,' says Vidhu Lamba, Vice President – Tourism Alliances and TBO Academy. The campaign targets B2B travel agents and tour operators, particularly those specializing in luxury, cultural, adventure, and experiential travel segments within the specified Middle Eastern and Indian markets.
