Oman eyes 20% rise in Indian visitors this year

The Sultanate of Oman is eyeing more than 20% growth in leisure tourists from India, especially those who are well travelled. "We saw a total of 7,40,000 visitors (last year) from India, which included both business and pleasure.

This year we are expecting a 20% growth in the well travelled category in leisure segment," Oman's India representative Lubaina Sheerazi told PTI here. The Gulf country today launched its 'Opulence of Oman' campaign through a four-city road show that began here. To begin with, the southwest Asian nation will focus on all metros in addition with Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad to promote its high-end tourist destinations.

"We have found that almost 60% of the overseas travellers are from Mumbai and Delhi. Therefore, initially we want to concentrate our promotions in the bigger cities and then penetrate deeper to other cities," she said. Oman has a lot to offer as a luxury holiday destination. It is a hub of outdoor and adventure activities and is spending USD 200,000 in India to promote tourism, Sheerazi said.

"The new-age Indian traveller is opting for experiential destinations that are short haul and have good air connectivity." Oman has tied up with 9-10 travel operators like Cox & Kings, Thomas Cook and Kuoni to jointly promote tourism. "We are planning to sign with 10-12 travel operators this year for joint promotional activities," she said. Oman is also exploring Bollywood to promote tourism through incentives, Sheerazi added.