The senior management team of the Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) recently visited the Al Baleed archeological site in Salalah to oversee and inspect the final development stages of a new tourism cluster; a concentration of interconnected tourism infrastructure and services built for local SME’s.
The visit was part of an ongoing process to evaluate the status of existing hospitality offerings in Salalah and to enhance investment and partnership strategies in order to broaden the sector opportunities in the Dhofar region, aligning with the execution of the National Tourism Strategy in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism.
Omran has announced the availability of nine unique hospitality and retail units located at the iconic beachfront area within Al Baleed tourism cluster that will be available for lease to new and existing hospitality and retail providers and are an ideal location for coffee shops, restaurants, retail outlets and beachfront activities.
Commenting on the visit, Eng Ali Al Rasbi, Omran COO said, “Local businesses and SMEs are the backbone and our nation and have an important role to play in boosting the capability and capacity of the sector.  For the businesses that decide to take up this venture, they will situated in easily accessible locations with available car parking facilities and other utilities and services, as well as benefit from the footfall from the natural attractions such as the archeological site, the Land of Frankincense Museum and the upcoming five-star Al Baleed Resort all adding to the area’s growing popularity”
“The Dhofar Governorate and Salalah specifically have seen increasing numbers of visitors over recent years with events such as the Khareef Festival.  According to NCSI, last year the region witnessed over half a millions visitors during the Khareef season, a 19.4% increase from the previous year. The region has also recorded strong growth in the number of visitors from GCC member states” He added, “Tourism clusters play an important role of Omran’s vision moving forward. The proximity of the related infrastructure forms a network of services that gain competitive advantages for their own businesses and make the location a more attractive, competitive and encompassing destination.”
“We encourage the Omani nationals and SME’s in hospitality, tourism and retail to consider expanding their operations to Salalah, to enjoy the benefits of the bourgeoning tourism sector in Dhofar and to capitalize on the emerging growth opportunities.  We are particularly looking for established Omani brands who will help to shape an authentic and uniquely Omani feel to the sector.  Our nation and the region of Dhofar is home to many innovative and talented businesses and individuals who have the potential to bring a standard of excellence to the growing tourism services within the cluster.” Al Rasbi concluded.
During the Dhofar visit, Omran officials also met with operators of the Company’s assets in Salalah to evaluate and discuss means of improving hospitality services. The team reviewed its existing operations with a number of hotels including  Salalah Rotana Hotel, Juweira Boutique Hotel, Al Fanar Hotel and Residences in addition to other hospitality assets under the Omran umbrella.