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Oman will focus on attracting residents and nationals living in the neighboring United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the Sultanate moves forward with plans to revamp its tourism sector.
“We are targeting key tourists in the UAE, particularly UAE residents and nationals who would want to explore further to neighboring countries,” Salem Adi Al-Mamari, the director-general of the Tourism Promotion department at Oman Ministry of Tourism told Zawya in an email interview.
“We are introducing a variety of packages… through (a) campaign, aimed at making it easy and convenient for tourists to take another mile and see what Oman has to offer,” he added.
Al-Mamari said details of the packages would be announced in the coming months. He said they will include direct flights from Sharjah to Muscat via Air Arabia, hotel accommodation in Muscat and travel insurance.
Late last month, the Sultanate announced the launch of a new partnership with UAE-based travel website, Holiday Factory, to promote the country’s tourism portfolio.
“Holiday Factory is a popular tour operator in the UAE and among the most visited travel websites which we have chosen to partner with. They provide a large access of offers to travelers seeking for fantastic deals and we believe they can best promote Oman as a destination of choice in our efforts to attract more visitors in the Sultanate,” Al-Mamari said.
Oman, like other countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, was badly hit by the economic downturn that followed the sharp fall in oil prices which started in 2014.
According to Al-Mamari, Oman recorded 3.3 million visitors in 2017, up 3.1 percent from the previous year.