TravTalk India Online Magazine
Oman is becoming a favourite destination for Indian weddings and the destination is leaving no stone unturned to offer the best experience, services and even incentives to host Indian weddings on its shores.
Nisha Verma
Khalid Mohamed Said Al Arzi, Director of Tourism Trends Department, Sultanate of Oman, says that India is a significant market for Oman with tremendous potential. “We had some meetings with the stakeholders in Oman and they are willing to receive weddings from Indian market. We have plenty of services to be provided. We believe that Oman is unique for India and is fit for the Indian market. Lots of services can be offered for key wedding planners in India. We have similarity in many things like food. In terms of connectivity, there are direct daily flights from India to Muscat. They will increase as Oman air is the national carrier and they have confirmed to increase daily flights up to 15 from India. The number can reach to more than 70 weekly direct flights with many airlines like IndiGo and Vistara flying on the route. With the cooperation of the stakeholders in Oman, I think this product will see a progress and we can provide a unique and quality service to the Indian market,” he explains.
All for weddings
Oman checks all boxes when it comes to organising an Indian wedding, claims Al Arzi. “In terms of visa, Indian nationals who are holding the US, Schengen, UK, Canada, Australia and Japanese visa can enter Oman for free. The other thing we are communicating to Royal Oman Police (ROP) is to facilitate the visa for Indians and they are supportive in this regard. We look forward to providing more incentives, which would make it easy to offer other services as well. We need to discuss it with the ROP. Event planners in Oman can provide services for the Indian meetings, including food, which is not an issue in Oman, as we have qualified and capable Indian chefs at various properties here. As a destination, Oman is unique and we have a variety of landscape and activities within driving distance of Muscat. It will be a good experience for the tourists,” he adds.
Unique hospitality
He claims that Oman’s hospitality can play a key role in its popularity as a wedding destination. “The hospitality of Oman is its USP. Another special thing about the tourism in Oman is the engagement of locals in the tourism industry. They are involved in this industry, not just in the hotels, but even in transportation, or as a tour guide. Secondly, the incentives and cooperation that we seek and get from the stakeholders is something we can rely on. Also, the quality of services that is provided by world chain hotels we have, like Shangri la, Jumeirah, Ritz carlton and the spectacular venues in Oman, can host mega events,” says Al Arzi.
Incentives on cards
Saying that they are working on incentives for wedding operators, he adds, “We will share the same with our partners very soon. We are working with the stakeholders, with the ROP, and the board itself. There will be promising incentives on offer for the key wedding planners.”
India promotions
Talking of promotions of Oman across India, he adds, “Our India representatives, Buzz Travel Marketing, are doing a great job. We had a roadshow and meetings talking about weddings and other segments.”
