Wego, an online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism have signed an agreement to promote the Sultanate’s tourism sites in the GCC region.
Oman has opened its borders to visitors from the GCC and it announced that it is open for travel for Covid-19 vaccinated tourists from September 1.
The Sultanate has eased its travel restrictions, lifting flight prohibition for people travelling from previously banned countries. It is implementing precautionary measures and following through with the vaccination drive across the country, according to a statement.
All travelers to Oman should present a vaccine certificate containing a QR code that states they have received two doses of a vaccine that is approved in Oman (Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford Astrazeneca, Covishield AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinovac, Moderna, and Sinopharm, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson).
The last dose of the vaccine should have been received not less than 14 days before the arrival date. Over 550,000 searches were performed on Wego’s platform in Q3 2021 from the GCC to Oman, which overlooks the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman, and the Arabian Gulf. Out of these searches, 34 per cent were from Saudi Arabia, 27 per cent from UAE, 16 per cent from Kuwait, 14 per cent from Qatar, and 10 per cent from Bahrain.
Director General of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism Haitham bin Mohammed Al Ghassani said: “Oman has always been at the forefront of tourism, and this partnership with Wego reflects our commitment to continue the momentum. We are confident that this association will help us to promote Oman among the GCC countries, as well as attract more foreign investment to Oman.”
Wego MENA and India Managing Director Mamoun Hmedan said: “We are seeing an increase in the number of searches from the GCC to Oman following the flight resumptions. We are glad to partner with Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for the second time to promote this gem. Its proximity, ancient culture, green mountains and wadis make it the best escape during the summer period for GCC travelers.”
Through this partnership, Wego and Oman aim to drive the conversation around Oman across all marketing channels and social media platforms and increase visitor footfall to the country.
