The Business Year

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Al Sayyid Munther Bin Saif Bin Hamed Al Busaidi

Managing Director, Ramada Muscat Hotel

The bulk of our business definitely comes from neighboring markets like the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. The European markets contribute a lot in the leisure and corporate segment. Due to the global presence of the Ramada and its major brand recognition, the hotel has a share of business from markets like India, China, and the Americas. Another segment that contributes heavily to the hotel is the local government and embassies, due to our location in the diplomatic area of Muscat. The hotel is also the preferred partner for outdoor catering when it comes to the ministries and embassies located here in Oman. The tourism business in Oman is mainly divided into seasons; the summer season is usually where the business is slow, with momentum picking up by mid-September. Additionally, many travel agents and tour operators prefer dealing with the hotel due to its simplistic approach to doing business.

David Todd

General Manager & Regional General Manager, InterContinental Muscat & Oman

Our guests are primarily business focused and a broad mix of Western and GCC passport holders. In the leisure segment, they are primarily from German-speaking countries and the UK. We have also seen a growth in visitors from Spain and Italy. Our offering is truly diverse; we are located in the heart of the city, with close proximity to the Royal Opera House on the one hand, and Shati Al-Qurm on the other, with its wonderful beach. Add to that our 35 acres of parkland and the openness of the Omani people, and you have the makings of a splendid stay. We also take full advantage of our facilities by staging open-air concerts, events, and grand balls. The current allocation ratio is approximately 60-40 business and leisure. Peak leisure periods are from October until March. Business is year round, though obviously August is the slowest month for the whole city. Typically, the business is Sunday through Wednesday, so we are focusing on interregional weekend visitors, who arrive from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, just a four hour drive away. Meanwhile, we have continued to cater to leisure and core business from among German-speaking countries and the UK. And even during the dip in 2008, we still observed the same nationalities visiting.

Bernard N. Viola

General Manager, Bernard N. Viola

Occupancy is on the rise. While the competition grew by 14% in 2012, we grew by 27% for the period, and with business doing well there is a lot to be thankful for. The year of 2012 saw a very harsh winter in Europe, which prompted many to board direct flights and escape the weather. We attend all the key trade shows in the UK, Germany, Finland, France, Austria, Scandinavia, Barcelona, Italy, and Saudi Arabia, and we’ve left no market untapped. If you are a global brand, you have to be globally exposed. I have to say that the Ministry of Tourism has done an incredible job of improving Oman’s visibility. I have not seen any ministry in the Middle East that has worked as hard. I also feel that His Majesty’s approach is the correct one: to preserve the unique culture and heritage of Oman. As a result, things are picking up and going well. We see an increasing number of major events coming here today. The new airport will come online in 2015 or 2016. Overall, the growth and dynamism of our industry is a good sign for the country and its economy.

Garry Friend

General Manager, Grand Hyatt Hotel - Oman

During the high season, the occupancy rate is at around 90% and drops to 60% or 65% in the summer low season. The majority of our Gulf region clients come from Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. Our hotels in Doha and Dubai host many Saudi Arabian clients, but Muscat is not a big destination for them. Our main guests are corporate clients, both European and from the GCC. Many GCC clients stay for short periods due to the proximity of their home countries. We have some clients from Dubai arriving in the morning and leaving again in the evening. The other important clients are the Europeans and Americans who come and stay for three or four days. Most of these clients are well-travelled, independent people. We do not have many package tourists, and tend to attract older, or more experimental travellers, keen to experience the culture. The leisure client has a tendency to stay here for two or three days, then travel elsewhere in the country for a spell, and then perhaps go on to Dubai for another few days.

Naji Abi Farah

Country Director of Sales and Marketing, Golden Tulip Hotel

The Ministry of Tourism has done a great job of promoting Oman and we have always participated in its fairs, exhibitions, and events, be it in London for the World Travel Market, the ITB Berlin, or Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market, the key important travel trader exhibition. We also maintain a good business mix. In the winter, we see many leisure groups coming to Oman for cultural tourism. They demand a decent hotel to use as a base for visiting important sites, where they can enjoy excellent dining and rest in comfort. A number of people also come purely for a beach vacation, which we also offer. However, our largest business component is our corporate and government customers. Over the summer we have inbound business coming from the GCC countries, largely because of the school holidays. Families from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait come to vacation and discover Oman, or specifically Muscat, Salalah, and the interior. On the other hand, we see many more European families in the winter, as well as Asian guests—especially Malaysian and Indonesian groups—coming through on their way to other Middle Eastern destinations. At the Muscat hotel, 60%-65% of our business is from corporate clients, while 30-35% are leisure customers, either GCC families or European groups. Meanwhile, in Nizwa, 95% of customers are leisure tourists.

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