Monday 07 / July / 2025
Muscat: Oman forum on hotel travel and leisure was organised by Crowe Oman, under the Horwath HTL umbrella and was inaugurated on Tuesday under the patronage of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.
Horwath HTL is a member firm of Crowe Global and is a global leader, offering unparalleled experience and expertise exclusively across hotels, tourism and leisure spectrum.
The meeting was presided over by Faisal bin Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industries (OCCI).
Welcoming the guests Davis Kallukaran, Managing Partner Crowe Oman, said that the contribution of the tourism sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Oman is only 2.4 per cent whereas the world average is around 10 per cent.
“Oman is so unique and blessed with a diversified topography from Salalah to Muscat with every nook and corner rich in heritage and culture. We should know our strength and available resources and leverage it by using technology,” he added.
The tourism sector in Oman is expected to contribute 5 per cent to the GDP by 2030 and 10 per cent by 2040. The government is expected to invest OMR10 billion in the tourism industry by 2040. If unemployment in Oman is a challenge then tourism is the solution. With the right attitude, youth could engage in tourism-related activities as it does not need high technical skills. With the right attitude, every youth in Oman could be self-employed in tourism.
John Fareed initiated the first session on the market scenario of the hotel industry in the Middle East region and highlighted hotel performances and investments in the pipeline. The hotel industry has successfully recovered in some countries, uncovering deficiencies that may slow recovery in the years ahead. By 2029, the region will see more than 100,000 new hotel rooms, he added.
James Chappell, the Global Director at Horwath HTL, spoke about outdoor tourism and said, “Our experience in this burgeoning sector and scope of services ensures that we can support our clients from the concept stage through opening and ongoing operations. Horwath HTL’s outdoor hospitality provides a full range of hospitality consulting services designed to address the unique operating, investment and environmental issues found in the nature-based outdoor sector of the hospitality industry. From initial location and site analysis, preliminary market research and feasibility work to operator selection, our team has the expertise to assist in new developments and repositioning of existing assets. These involve market analysis, accommodation types, players and market opportunities." He further emphasised that Oman has excellent potential in this line.
Sinisa Taplovic, Global head of Tourism advisory in his presentation talked about the developments in the region and presented case studies about the developments in other GCC countries.
He commented that Oman has unique advantages in the tourism area and is yet to take advantage of the potential. He said this is a virgin market and the sky's the limit for growth.
Adel Maniar, Partner Business advisory in charge of hotel tourism and leisure consulting proposed the vote of thanks and presented the mementos to the speakers.
Earlier Mazzon Al Balushi, Relationship manager at Invest Oman made a presentation on the opportunities for investors in Oman.
Lakshmi Kothanath and Buthaina Al Abri, Manager HR at Crowe Oman made the introductions and compering. The forum was attended by hoteliers, investors, financiers and business owners from Oman apart from the officials from the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion of Oman.
