OMAN’S first Marriott property, Salalah Marriott Resort in Mirbat, recently completed its khareef holiday season which was moved this year due to the expected August arrival of the Holy Month.
However, according to general manager Michel Sursock: “The climate still continues to be pleasant with cool temperatures and an amazing scenery of lush green that will still be attractive for many GCC visitors who would like to celebrate Ramadan in more pleasant weather conditions.”
According to Sursock, July has always been the peak season for hotels in Salalah. “We run the highest occupancy rates and our average rates are also higher than throughout the remainder of the year. Our performance is supported by the number of visitors to Salalah: numbers from the Khareef Festival itself show that there is significant increase in visitors in comparison to last year. We do feel it as well, as in comparison to last year we are running a higher occupancy rate. August, of course, will be quieter as Ramadan is setting in.”
He added that the property has seen constant improvement in performance since opening its doors last year.
“We have carried out many initiatives to increase awareness locally, have tied up with customer loyalty clubs in Oman and have managed to secure many well known international tour operators to include us in their brochures for the upcoming fall / winter season,” he said.
“We are looking forward to an even more successful second year, as now we are well established and well known, locally as well as internationally.”
A key source market for the property is locals looking to escape during the weekend for an overnight stay or even just to access the popular pool for the day. Visitors from Muscat, both Omanis and expats, choose to stay two to three days arriving by plane and making use of the airport shuttle bus.
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GCC visitors tend to stay around two to four days and those coming from Europe stay for two to seven days.
“Our focus is on all these markets, depending on the seasonality, to reach out to the right customers, at the right time of the year,” said Sursock.
With Salalah gaining popularity, more luxury hotels have announced plans to open in the near future. Sursock believes that with tourist traffic and tourism investment in the region expected to soar in the near future, this is only natural.
He added: “Salalah as a destination is still a jewel in the Gulf region that has not yet been discovered and that has not been exposed to tourism excessively. It has variety to offer from natural areas to historical places and religious sites. However, currently many touristic sites such as museums, natural parks etc. do not have a website, so the promotion of these highlights is very limited. We all need to focus our efforts to be accessible to the tourist who wants to know what’s happening where 24/7 and read about it online.
“We also need to observe closely how the political situation is developing in the region. Even though Oman is, without doubt, among the safest and politically most stable countries in the region, the authorities have to pro actively carry this message across to the tourists and the tour operators.”
This year the resort will see new additions across the property including the opening of Al Dana seafood restaurant, the launch a tour desk and more watersport activities including fishing.