Interview: Spirit of Oman

Balancing a growing diversity of tourism activities with the preservation of pristine landscapes and rich traditions is a skill known only too well by Oman Ministry of Tourism director general of tourism promotion Salim Aday Al Mamari.

Combine this balancing act with a national tourism strategy aiming to double the number of international visitors to five million by 2040, and you discover a challenge requiring strong leadership and a level of cultural sensitivity familiar among the Omani people. “In Oman we are not in a hurry to tackle millions of tourists, we are trying to grow slowly but surely. We have an identity here and we don’t want to lose it,” says Al Mamari.

With a keen desire to offer ‘tourism experiences’ Al Mamari believes Oman can provide tourists a vacation unlike any other country in the this part of the world. “Each part of the country offers you a different experience. When I talk about experiences I mean our people, culture, food, music – then of course our scenery, landscapes, wildlife, marine life, dessert life and our mountains.” He continues: “Tourism nowadays has been changed completely, people travel as a way of educating themselves, and when tourists come to Oman it will be a great opportunity to speak to local people, to make a change and to educate them on what it means to be from Oman. People will return home with real stories and with real experiences.”

The mid-market sector Oman’s Ministry of Tourism is targeting the ‘growing global trend’ for budget and mid-market hospitality, according Al Mamari, who claims there is “absolutely a growing market for economy accommodation” and Oman’s national tourism strategy was designed and approved to take into consideration this one- two- and three-star hotel growth.

“The global trend in tourism is changing, of course there is still a five-star market – but now, tourists with high levels of disposable income are seeking something new from their vacations.”

This concept of seeking something new has led to a creative approach to the mid-market hospitality sector in Oman. “We are allowing people who own farms to convert a part of their farm buildings into accommodation, not more than ten rooms, keeping in mind not to disturb the environment, and to build it in a very traditional way.”

He continues: “We can give the tourists an experience about how we used to live on the farms, they can experience the traditional customs, see the wildlife and enjoy the very simple things here.”

He adds: “We are also allowing those people who have an old house which was perhaps built one or two hundred years ago to be converted into a hotel. These kind of accommodations will be unique and they will be reasonable in terms of price.

Al Mamari is also keen to acknowledge his desire to offer a full range of mid-market hospitality options for tourists arriving into Oman, including the more well-known international chains: “Big and small hotel chains are
welcome, but we absolutely must focus on service levels – people always remember the way they are treated.”

Promoting Growth

Growth in the Omani mid-market hospitality sector is natural and organic, according to Al Mamari, though the government has helped facilitate the process. “It is both a government incentive and a market requirement to develop this sector. What we can see today is that there is a big demand, but we are offering any help required by the hoteliers. We are also giving priorities for the investor, especially for the unique mid-market properties.”

Promoting Oman as a mid-market destination is also a keen aspect of the Ministry’s work, having already been engaged in international conferences and exhibitions for many years. “We have already started to get the word out, some of the authentic accommodation is still under development and not yet ready, it is a work in progress, but for sure our promotional material already highlights the mid-market offerings of Oman and it is already being promoted.”

He continues: “When we started promoting Oman as a tourism destination, 10 years back, we didn’t take into consideration talking about experiences. I remember in 1991 when I used to go to UK for the World Tourism Market exhibition, we used to have a small stand, and they [visitors] were passing us and never visiting because they didn’t even know about Oman, or what Oman offered, but now when I go to London I am fully booked with appointments.”

As times continue to change, Al Mamari acknowledges the need to adapt to new methods of promoting Oman to new source markets: “We utilise online channels and social media as the main ways of promoting hotels and destinations – and you can reach the people in the home, office and on the train through social media, this is where our audience is, technology is moving so fast and you have to adapt to it.”

Demand in the mid-market

With more economy properties in the pipeline and a national strategy that was designed and approved to take into consideration the mid-market sector, Al Mamari points out from where he believes the future demand for this sector will originate. “One-star to three-star properties should be available to serve those who are both coming from outside the country and also those from inside,” he begins.

“According to our latest study, and looking at the statistics obtained through the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), there are two big markets coming: China and India.” Oman is already targeting India, due to high levels connectivity through multiple airline carriers already serving multiple destinations between the countries.

He adds: “Big similarities exist between India and Oman when it comes to tourism: we both enjoy food, music and family living.”

However if China is to become a top source market in the future it will require additional development and investment if it is to become a key source for the Omani mid-market sector. “With China we need enough new restaurants to cater to their taste, in additional to trained tour guides, because they come in big groups, in Oman we are not yet ready to facilitate this level of activity.”

Sustaining Development

Maintaining growth of the mid-market sector must be done in compliance with environmental standards, says Al Mamari. “I think Oman was the only country in this part of the world to start a Ministry of Environment,” he claims. “Any project in Oman, whether tourism or industrial, it has to go [comply] with the lowest regulation of this ministry in order to gain approval.” He continues: “When we talk about nature, it is so important to tourism; you can destroy it with buildings, cruises, dhows, diving – so absolutely we are very keen and have strong rules and regulations to protect it.”

“We are planning for today and for the long-term. Tourism is a tricky business; it is easy to attract people and it is easy to bring in money from tourism, but if you don’t control it – then you have to scale it back to fix the very problems that you created.” He adds: “People see Oman and they see it is slow, but this is deliberate. Our people are very happy and one of the most educated in this area, they encourage tourism too, but they worry and care about their home, they want to meet new people but with highest respect for their country.”

Al Mamari concludes: “Nowadays the trend in tourism is changing. Green tourism is growing in popularity. Of course there are people who enjoy the five-star luxury accommodation, but there are now people who may be rich enough for five-star travel but they love to stay in these traditional [mid-market] hotels. They enjoy this lifestyle, they want to find a quiet place to visit, to live with harmony, and this is what we are developing in Oman.”