ETW Staff– Mumbai
In line with its marketing plan for 2014, Oman will focus on promoting wedding, MICE and film tourism in the Indian market. The ministry of tourism, Oman along with Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton hotel hosted a group of reputed wedding planners from India and provided them an opportunity to see and experience Oman as a viable option for weddings.
Talking about reasons to promote Oman as a wedding destination, Lubaina Sheerazi, India representative, Oman said, “Weddings in India are becoming larger than life and destination weddings are getting more popular among Indians. Oman has great potential to become a wedding destination and the feedback we got from the wedding planners after the trip was encouraging and positive. Oman is a stunning destination with the most amazing and diverse topography which is perfect for an Indian wedding as you could have every event set against a unique backdrop. Moreover, Oman is close to India not only geographically but also culturally.”
Muscat, the capital city of Oman is well developed and provides a perfect set up for weddings with numerous world class hotels and resorts situated in the city. It also houses several Indian restaurants making Indian food easily accessible for Indian travellers.
Sheerazi added, “The MICE market in India is booming at a rapid pace and there has been a steep increase of travel in this category. To increase awareness amongst corporates and travel trade about Oman as a MICE destination, we recently participated in MICE Travel Mart (MTM) in Mumbai and will also participate in MICE India and Luxury Travel Congress (MILTC), Experiential Planner, MTM Delhi. We would also like to give the travel trade and corporates a first hand experience of Oman and will conduct a familiarisation trip for corporates and travel trade in the month of August.”
Film Tourism is another segment that is gaining popularity and Oman wants to use this medium to reach out to a wider audience. Oman participated in the 3-city India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) this year where several top directors, producers and production houses showed great interest in shooting at Oman. YashRaj Films produced movie Gunday recently shot a romantic song ‘Jiya’ in Oman which featured Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh.
Oman has witnessed 10.4 per cent increase in tourist arrivals from India in 2013 as compared to 2012 and are expecting15 per cent increase in 2014.
