Oman looking to grow local luxury hotel brands

The body tasked with developing hospitality and tourism in Oman is looking to increase the number of local brands operating in the luxury hotels sector.

Earlier this year, Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) launched Atana, a four-star hotel and resort operator, initially rebranding Golden Tulip Resort Khasab as Atana Khasab.

In an interview with Times of Oman, Omran VP for external affairs Abdul Wahid Al Farsi explained its important role in the future.

“Although we would like to give opportunities to international brands, we would like to have our own local brands as well,” he said.

“That is exactly why we introduced 'Atana' brand and we will definitely build more facilities with this brand in the future. So we would see less focus on international brands and instead would get more local brands involved.”

Al Farsi also agreed with a recent report by Cluttons which highlighted the opportunities in the country for mid-market operators, with the gap being left in the wake of the growth of luxury properties in the country.

“Generally speaking, luxury hotels create more jobs as you have to put more services in place compared to the lower-end accommodations which require less number of staff,” he told the newspaper.

“But on the other hand, you can have more number of mid-range hotels, which can generate good job opportunities and good return with less investment.”