Monday 20 / May / 2024
MUSCAT: Experts urge that women have a greater role to play in the tourism sector in Oman if given the right opportunities to show off their skills in this important sector of the economy.
Empowering women in travel and tourism must be a priority as the Sultanate pushes forward to attract more tourists as envisioned in the Oman 2040 Vision.
“We cannot emphasise enough the role of women in the tourism sector. We must use all the tools available to us to empower women to excel in an industry that has yet to reach its full potential in this beautiful country,” Dr Hashil Al Mahrouqi, Omran Group CEO, told the delegates in his role as Keynote Speaker.
Other speakers said that women must also be encouraged to exert more effort in the tourism industry.
“We should push forward to fully develop the professional growth of women’s potential in the tourism industry. They have already proved they can substantially contribute in this sector and we all must have faith in their abilities to be part of the development to bring the best out of them,” Dr Lubna Al-Mazroei, Tourism Investment Manager at Oman Investment Authority (OIA) said in her presentation.
Women in Travel and Tourism Seminar, which was organised by Al-Safa Press and Publishing at the Crowne Hotel on Tuesday, had seven other women speakers, campaigning for better roles for women’s contributions in tourism.
“Women’s roles in the hospitality sector cannot be underestimated. They are more than capable to put Oman in the global map to promote our culture and heritage to impress international tourists to experience a memorable stay,” Mariam Al Araimi, Omran’s Human Capital Business Partner, told the Seminar’s audience in her presentation.
Women’s tour guides have been in high demand in the last five years, both for domestic, international and Muslim tourists.
“We have seen an increasing demand for a group of women from Arab and Muslim countries, asking for women’s tour guides to explore Oman. This shows the importance of encouraging more women to be tour guides to cater for this increasing popular area,” Dr Rokhshad Tavakoli, an Assistant Professor of Tourism at Sultan Qaboos University, told the audience.
But other speakers called to focus for the academic role as well, to prepare students as future leaders in the tourism industry.
“We see an increasing number of female students enrolling in the tourism degrees. As an academic, I always look at the best ways to empower our students and prepare them to market our country in the tourism industry. After all, they are our future leaders in this industry,” Aaisha Al-Shuaili, Senior Lecturer at Oman Tourism College, said in her speech.
Other presenters say women can fully participate in a national strategy to shape tourism development to meet the demands of international visitors.
“I would say women has a slight edge over men in tourism management. They are more patient and attentive. This is the reason why I think they must fully participate in the National Strategy to boost tourism numbers in Oman,” Naifeen Al-Bahrani, a Tourism Consultant, said in her presentation. .
Cultural tourism must be high in agenda, too, to promote local heritage and history.
