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Travel fair opens today

MUSCAT — Sultan bin Hamdoon Al Harthy, chairman of Muscat Municipality, will inaugurate the three-day Oman Travel Mart (OTM) 2009, the international tourism event of the year, today at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

Several senior government officials, dignitaries, commercial attaches and delegates from travel and tourism promotion bodies will attend the ceremony.

The fair will feature outbound and inbound tourism, medical tourism as well as property and investment tourism opportunities, said Ahmed Saleh Baabood, chairman of Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE), organiser of the event.

With Oman’s rugged mountains and lush oases proving popular among tourists and its tourism and travel sector emerging as one of the pillars of the economy, the annual event this time is expected to attract a large number of national and international visitors.

Oman has become a top-class holiday destination for tourists worldwide and is listed among the top 10 in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2009 Guide.

“The fair will showcase a diverse range of tourism initiatives to regional and international travellers on the lookout for secure and prime investment opportunities,” Baabood said.

The ministries of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, the Public Authority for Crafts Industry and tourism bodies from Malaysia, India, Thailand, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia will take part in the travel mart.

Leading travel and tourism companies in Oman such as 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 & Tourism, Seven Star Aviation Services and Mazoon Travel featuring Sri Lankan Holidays will take centrestage at this year’s event, offering special tour packages for travel and leisure enthusiasts.

Oman Air is the lead sponsor of the event.

“OTM energises the industry and the economy and creates new opportunities for the market. For six consecutive years, it has been playing an important role in the growth and development of the country’s travel and tourism industry,” Baabood added.

Medical tourism

Nick Hodge, managing director of OITE said: “Medical tourism has grown significantly in the past 10 years. Even in these times of economic hardship, this sector has seen a lot of activity especially the health care sector.

With the cost of health care going up, a growing number of people are going to countries like Singapore, India and Malaysia to seek cost-effective treatment. These countries are popular as they have state-of-the-art facilities and highly-skilled doctors.”

Health care companies participating in the travel mart include International Medical Speciality Centre, Steps National Company, Bangkok Hospital Medical Centre and Sri Ramachandra Hospital.

Eco tourism

The OTM will also showcase eco tourism services this time, said Sadiq Khan, OITE sales and marketing director.

“The concept of eco tourism is fairly new, yet it is an important aspect of the travel and tourism industry. It has become increasingly popular and is a smart way to combine travel and environmental activism,” he said.

Several established names in the sectors of property and investment, hospitality, education, software solutions from the region and elsewhere would be offering their products and services at the fair, Khan said.