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Oman Travel Mart evokes good response

75 countries taking part in the event v Move to bring more tourists to Oman

MUSCAT -- The indicators at Oman Travel Mart (OTM), which opened at the Oman International Exhibition Centre yesterday, show the vibrancy of the travel and tourism industry despite global economic downturn as there are more participants in the three-day event than the previous year and the organisers are expecting more visitors this year.

The OTM is represented by nine countries and 75 companies at 45 stalls put up by various hospitality sector players in Oman and abroad. Last year 30 companies participated and about 80,000 people visited the exhibition. Sultan bin Hamdoun al Harthy, Chairman of Muscat Municipality, opened the OTM and termed it to be a great effort on the part of the organisers to promote tourism in general and health tourism in particular. He visited the stalls and wished the participants success in their efforts to get connected to Oman, which he said was beneficial for both the sides.

Mohammed bin Hamoud al Toobi, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, termed this to be a great opportunity for one and all having interest in hospitality industry. "The OTM provides them an opportunity to get every detail under one umbrella," he said and added that he wanted the OTM to grow more and more when his attention was drawn towards the fact that there were more participants in the Travel Mart this year than the previous year. "It is like Oman shining. The whole world wants to know about Oman due to its places of tourist attraction and a forum like OTM is the best opportunity to grab all possible information under one roof," said Engin Turker, Ambassador of Turkey to the Sultanate of Oman.

Family destination
Malaysian Ambassador to the Sultanate Mohammed Zamri Moha-mmed Kaisin said he wants to encourage more tourists from Oman to Malaysia as also Malaysian presence in Oman. "Malaysia is a family destination for the people of Oman and we want to promote health tourism in our country," he said. Oman Air's Senior Manager Marketing Mohammed Shikely termed it to be an honour for the national carrier to support an event like OMT because "our aim is to bring more and more visitors to Oman and this could not be achieved alone. We are drawing joint strategies with the Ministry of Tourism and players in the hospitality industry to achieve the maximum."

The country's international travel and tourism exhibition of the year will run till tomorrow featuring outbound and inbound tourism, medical tourism as well as property and investment tourism opportunities. Event's organiser Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE) sounds optimistic despite global economic downturn. OITE Chairman Ahmed Saleh Baabood said: "The event opens various business potential in Oman and across the region. It energises the industry and the economy and creates new opportunities for the market. For six consecutive years, OTM has been playing an important role in the growth and development of the country's travel and tourism industry."

Oman is now becoming a top-class holiday destination for holidaymakers worldwide and is listed among the top 10 in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 Guide. OTM provides unrivalled opportunity for inbound and outbound tourism. Leading travel and tourism companies such as the Musandam Sea Adventure, Desert Nights Camp, Turtle Beach Resorts, Al Sawadi Beach Resort, Al Hoota Cave, SAF Museum, Ocean Boats Dive Centre, Zahara Holidays, Marisol LLC, Majan Light Travel and Tourism, Seven Star Aviation Services and Mazoon Travel featuring Sri Lankan Holidays, among others are taking centre stage at this year's event offering special tour packages for travel and leisure enthusiasts.

Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Public Authority for Crafts Industry and foreign tourism industries from Malaysia, India, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia are participating in the OTM to attract the rapid and growing lucrative markets in the Sultanate and the Gulf region.

Medical tourism
Medical tourism is a new concept in this year's OTM. According to Nick Hodge, Managing Director of OITE, "Medical tourism has gone significantly in the past 10 years. In times of economic hardship, this sector has seen a lot of activity with an increasing impact on the healthcare sector. Rising healthcare costs has meant that a growing number of people fly to Singapore, India and Malaysia to seek cost effective, medical treatment. These countries are now popular destinations for medical tourism, with state-of-the-art facilities and highly-skilled medical specialists."

By Kaushalendra S Singh

© Oman Daily Observer 2009