Pact to fuel growth of inbound tourism

Almosafer, a travel platform based in Saudi Arabia, and Visit Oman have signed a partnership agreement at World Travel Market to boost leisure tourism to Oman from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Under the partnership, Almosafer’s consumer business will run a 360 marketing campaign throughout 2023 to promote Oman to the travel platform’s customer base in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE. The campaign will aim to increase awareness of Oman as a tourist destination, highlighting the many attractions available in the Sultanate of Oman.

Oman is a fast-growing destination for Almosafer’s consumer business, with hotel bookings increasing exponentially in 2022. Between January to October 2022, there has been a steep increase in bookings compared to the same period previous year. Hotel bookings from Saudi Arabia have increased by 370% and from the UAE by 432% for the year-to-date, compared to the same period in 2021, while bookings from Kuwait have increased by an astounding 1,070%.

Muzammil Ahussain, Executive Vice President of Almosafer, said: “Oman is becoming increasingly popular for travellers in the Middle East. We are excited to be working together with Visit Oman to showcase the country’s stunning natural beauty and its wider tourism offering to our customers across the GCC. With Almosafer’s revolutionary omni-channel approach and extensive consumer base, we are well placed to boost tourism to Oman and capitalise on this growing interest from travellers.”

Speaking about this latest venture for Oman tourism, Shabib al Maamari, Managing Director of Visit Oman, said: “As one of the region’s leading travel brands, a partnership with Almosafer represents a valuable marketing opportunity for Oman. We are looking forward to expanding Oman’s visibility across regional source markets with this extensive campaign for 2023. The signing of this MoU reinforces the aim to increase awareness and promote tourism in the Sultanate of Oman, attracting visitation by showcasing Oman’s full potential as an all year-round holiday destination.”