With Christmas and New Year around the corner, hotels in Oman are geared up to tap the festive season, which will see several flights carrying tourists from regional and other destinations.
Hotels are ready with plans to woo the guests with offers ranging from price advantage to value addition and other benefits, shuttle service, pick and drop, hop-on and hop-off buses, etc.
Leading hotels in the Sultanate of Oman have reported a surge in online bookings for rooms of various grades.
“To name a few, we have a Christmas Eve Dinner where one can enjoy a dazzling celebration of culinary delights, from Gaucho Steakhouse assortments and international specialties to a delectable array of heavenly desserts and the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner that allows our guests to have an opulent gala dinner and enjoy the very best of our chef’s shortlist both at a very reasonable price,” said Samir Messaoudi, General Manager of Sheraton Oman Hotel.
For the hotels in Oman, Christmas decorations have been a part of the festive season tradition for many decades. This year the chefs had lots of fun when decorating the winter market at Sheraton Oman, using the recycled materials that one would normally just put in the bin.
“We are currently 40 per cent busy but come next week, our occupancy will be 80 per cent, a double-digit growth, thanks to the festive season and better active economy and people’s preferences for Oman’s destinations,” said Udayan Moodadi, MD of Golden Oasis Hotel in Wadi Kabir.
Avani Hotels, one of the newest additions in the hospitality sector, has already announced its exclusive offer with 30 per cent savings on spa and 20 per cent savings on dining, besides a complimentary one-time afternoon stay for a minimum of two continuous stays.
“We will also upgrade reservations made for a standard room to a superior room, and reservations made for the studio, one-bedroom apartment, two or 3-bedroom apartment will be honoured with 24-hour check-in flexibility instead of the standard check-in timing after 2 pm. Check-out timing will be based on a maximum of 24 hours from the time of check-in,” said a representative from Avani Hotels.
In Salalah, hotels have several offers, including exciting benefits for residents who are looking to discover hidden gems across Salalah and rally their way into a world of adventure.
In celebration of the sparkling season, Alila Hinu Bay introduces ‘Festive Journey’, an invitation to collect beautiful memories over a span of 12 days, blending natural discovery with indulgent dining, signature pampering treatments at Spa Alila and dazzling winter celebrations.
“Guests can escape the hustle and bustle of city life and head to a harbour of undisturbed luxury and adventures at Alila Hinu Bay,” Juan Paulo Alphonso, General Manager of Alila Hinu Bay resort, said.
He further added that this Xmas and new year season, guests can also savour festive international dishes with a modern twist and enjoy unrivalled gastronomy at The Orchard Restaurant or embark towards the flavours of South-East at SeaSalt Restaurant.
“For families, there is plenty to keep the little ones entertained including Festive Cookie Decoration Workshops, Paper Aeroplane Competition, Sack Race Games, Musical Chairs and Tug-of-War, among others,” he added.
DOMESTIC TOURISM
Keeping pace with the international tourism hype, Oman’s domestic tourism too is all set to welcome a large chunk of tourists moving domestically from one tourist spot to the next and from one destination to the other.
Citizens and residents are looking forward to visiting the various local destinations, which are a short drive away, immersing in the historical museums and basking in the sunlight of Jabal Shams, taking a dip in the blue turquoise water of Sharqiyah, and spending a holiday in the misty Dhofar.
“Domestic tourism will be highly benefited during the first festive season, Xmas and New Year as there is a sense of ‘revenge travel’ happening across the world,” said an IATA representative.
“This great demand for domestic tourism which is visible across the globe will too be complemented by the people’s reluctance to travel to some other countries which are reporting Covid eruption again,” she added.
Underlining what experts said, the local destinations are readying themselves to the expectations of local tourists comprising different nationals.
All the amenities located around the major tourist destinations, from deserts to caves, from sand dunes to beaches, and from parks to taxis to coffee shops, are sprucing up to embrace the festive season and offer unmatching value-added services to the yearning visitors.
“We are excited to welcome the first batches of domestic tourists from different parts of the country. We are all decked up, and the services will be unique,” a representative of a themed restaurant on the Muttrah Corniche, which is frequented by hundreds of domestic tourists, said.
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