OMAN: Omran Plans New Tourism, Hospitality Initiatives

Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) has unveiled a raft of new initiatives aimed at consolidating its growing and diverse tourism and hospitality related investments and activities in the country. While some of the initiatives will take the shape of new strategic spin-offs, others are aimed at nurturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), local partnerships, and tourism-related products and services. “We are working on plans to consolidate our investments in hotels by having ‘Omran Hotels and Resorts’, which will be a clear differentiator in hotel investments,” said James Wilson, CEO — Omran.

Omran currently oversees a substantial portfolio of hotels and resorts, among other tourism assets. They include Alila Jabal Akhdhar, Atana Hotels, InterContinental Muscat Hotel, Millennium Resorts Mussanah, Crowne Plaza Hotel Duqm, City Hotel Duqm, Masirah Island Resort and Golden Tulip Dibba, among others. While some of the properties are owned by Omran, others are managed on behalf of others. Not included are hotels that are part of large Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs) or resorts developed in joint venture with other investors.

Also envisaged, according to Wilson, is a new spin-off that will support small Omani businesses and retail brands. “We are looking at creating ‘Omran Retail’ that can assist SME businesses. We know where the brands are, we know which brands want to come here, and we can bring a lot of partnership arrangements with local companies and local individuals,” he stated.

Yet another entity being contemplated as part of its consolidation efforts is ‘Omran Properties’, according to the CEO. “We are also looking to consolidate our Integrated Tourism properties under Omran Properties so there will a consolidated message that we don’t have the ITC projects like Almouj and Saraya Bandar Jissah marketed to the same people. We shouldn’t have two different projects marketed to the same market. We need to target Oman with products for specific markets,” he said. With a view to stimulating the growth of employment-generating small and medium businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry, a dedicated business incubator is envisioned, said Wilson.

“We are looking to create the Omran Business Incubator to make a meaningful impact on the creation of dozens of opportunities for SME businesses. In Europe, 90 per cent of all businesses employ less than 20 people. In the UK, it is about 95-96 per cent. Small businesses are a significant part of any economy,” he stressed. Significantly, Omran also has plans to acquire an unspecified, prominent hospitality training college currently operating in the Sultanate, the CEO noted.

“We’ll shortly take ownership of one of the hospitality colleges in Oman, which we intend to bring to international standards. It’s already catering to about 600 students per year, but we need to add to it, he said. Further, with the aim of attracting joint venture partners and eliminating bureaucracy in licensing procedures, Omran plans to play the role of an earnest facilitator. “It means providing licensing so that investors who invest with Omran or through Omran, or deal with deal, we will help you get the required permits. It will be our responsibility. If you develop on our land or invest in our land, we will deal with the government in delivering whatever permits you require,” Wilson added.