‘Spring comes with such an enchanting smile you would think it is speaking to you,’ wrote the poet Al Buhtri in the 9th century, whose poetry we study in school language courses. His words capture the sense of renewal and celebration we associate with spring.
In Dhofar, this season, called Al Sarb, marks the harvest and the rejuvenation of the land. In 2024, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism launched the Marhaba Dhofar campaign, expanding beyond the well-known Khareef season that brings over a million visitors in just three months.
While Marhaba Dhofar is an amazing initiative, the Sultanate of Oman’s tourism sector holds far greater potential. By applying the principles of blitzscaling — a strategy of rapid, large-scale growth popularised by the legendary entrepreneur and investor Reid Hoffman — Oman can transform these local campaigns into a powerful national tourism movement. The key is to decentralise tourism promotion, empowering each of the 11 governorates to lead, while uniting them under a shared national vision aligned with Oman’s Vision 2040.
Strategic inspiration from entrepreneurs
Local tourism ventures, such as those of Dhofari entrepreneurs Said and Muhammad, exemplify how small-scale, non-capital-intensive projects can blossom into high-impact ventures.
Said Al Mushaikhi offers tourists a unique experience by providing traditional Dhofari attire and capturing these moments in the picturesque highlands. His venture has created value not only for himself but for the entire local tourism ecosystem.
Muhammad Batmirah, on the other hand, has painstakingly overseen a guesthouse in Maqshan, bringing hospitality and warmth to visitors, despite the long hours he drives to ensure the experience feels personal and welcoming, and enriching to the In-Country Value of ICV.
These stories are inspiring, but they are also strategic examples of how grassroots innovation can be scaled up, with the visionary backing of the office of the Governor of Dhofar and Dhofar Municipality.
By embracing the blitzscaling mindset, Oman can transform these individual success stories into a national tourism movement.
Why blitzscaling matters?
Blitzscaling, as defined by Hoffman in the book authored by him and Chris Yeh- ‘Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies’, is about accelerating growth in order to capture larger markets. The traditional approach to scaling is incremental, but blitzscaling emphasises speed and assertive expansion, prioritising growth over short-term efficiency.
This approach has been instrumental in the rise of global companies like LinkedIn and Airbnb, and it can be just as transformative in sectors like tourism. For Oman, blitzscaling offers a way to quickly elevate the tourism sector into a key pillar of the national economy. It allows the country to rapidly build infrastructure, market diverse regions, and attract international visitors beyond the traditional peak seasons.
Strategically scaling local campaigns
The blitzscaling approach for Oman’s tourism sector involves three key strategies:
1. Decentralised, Governorate-led campaigns: Instead of over-relying on a centralised approach to lead all tourism efforts, each governorate from Musandam in the North to Dhofar in the South, should be empowered to craft its own campaign that highlights its unique attractions and experiences. Like Marhaba Dhofar, these campaigns can be deeply rooted in local culture, but their reach must be amplified to national and global levels. By decentralising approach leadership, Oman can simultaneously scale multiple campaigns, creating a more diverse and resilient tourism sector.
2. Rapid national expansion: The success of local campaigns, like Marhaba Dhofar, needs to be rapidly scaled to a national level. This means strategically coordinating between governorates and the national tourism authority to ensure cohesive branding and messaging while enabling rapid growth. Oman’s governorates are rich with unique experiences — from coastal adventures to desert explorations — making them prime candidates for blitzscaling tourism initiatives. These efforts would expand beyond the Khareef season, attracting tourist’s year-round and distributing economic benefits across regions.
3. Leveraging digital infrastructure and technology: Just as tech companies use digital platforms to blitzscale, Oman’s tourism sector can leverage tech-enabled platforms such as ‘Visit Oman’ to rapidly expand. A unified digital platform for booking, reviews, and virtual tours can enhance the visibility of smaller destinations.
Additionally, integrating sustainable tourism practices, smart infrastructure, and data-driven marketing will ensure that growth is scalable and sustainable. Countries like Iceland and New Zealand, which receive millions of tourists per year and have small populations similar to the Sultanate, have used similar strategies to position themselves as top global tourism destinations and Oman can do the same.
The strategic advantage of Blitzscaling tourism
Incorporating blitzscaling into Oman’s tourism strategy allows the country to capture new markets more quickly. This approach helps ensure that ‘Oman’s Vision 2040’ is not only achieved but surpassed, as tourism becomes a driving force in economic diversification.
Countries like Iceland, which experienced a rapid tourism boom post-2008, have shown that targeted campaigns, supported by a blitzscale mentality, can transform an entire economy. By embracing this strategy, Oman can become a globally recognised destination in a relatively short period.
Said and Muhammad's ventures demonstrate the potential of grassroots tourism entrepreneurship. Their success shows that even small ideas can grow rapidly when supported by the right vision and strategy. Oman can replicate these success stories by adopting blitzscaling on a national level, turning small-scale initiatives into a collective force that drives socio-economic progress.
Through decentralised campaigns, strategic national expansion, and the integration of digital platforms such as ‘Visit Oman’, we have the potential to evolve the tourism sector from seasonal peaks to a year-round, globally competitive industry. Just as technology startups blitzscale to capture new markets, Oman can scale its tourism efforts to capture the imagination — and spending power — of the global traveler.
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