Zahara Tours partners with Chinese firm to boost tourism

Business Saturday 20/October/2018 15:22 PM
By: Times News Service
Zahara Tours partners with Chinese firm to boost tourism

Muscat: Zahara Tours has announced its collaboration with the prominent Chinese integrated investment enterprise, Meishang International Group, to boost Chinese tourism in the Sultanate.
Through this collaboration, Zahara Tours will have access to Meishang Group’s extensive experience and partner network in China, which will fast-track the opportunity to achieve a greater number of Chinese visitors to Oman.
Meishang Group will work together with Zahara to develop the unique requirements of Chinese travellers in order to attract and sustain a dramatic growth in its Chinese tourism. In turn, this will have the added benefit of driving the inward investment and job creation that has been experienced in other countries. Peter Lim, Chief Executive Officer, Meishang International Group, stated.
In line with the Ministry of Tourism's objectives, Zahara and Meishang Group have been working together in promoting Chinese tourists to Oman for over a year. Regular visits by Meishang officers and farm trips organised have resulted in the first group of 40 plus tourists visiting Oman. There are plans for several more groups this season.
Salim Adi Al Mamari, director general of promotions at the Ministry of Tourism, said: "This visit is one of the results of marketing efforts made by the ministry last month to attract the Chinese tourism market. It has organised promotional workshops in Beijing and Guangzhou, in cooperation with the tourism partners of Oman. These efforts were meant for introducing Chinese travel and tourism companies and Chinese media about the tourist attractions of the Sultanate and prominent offers, programmes, services and facilities available there.”
Al Mamari further said: "We appreciate the role and efforts of the Omani private sector organisations in promoting tourism of the Sultanate, particularly Zahara Tours alongside pioneering Chinese private investment firm Meishang International Group, for organising and hosting such delegations. It was a major support for the ministry's efforts to attract targeted tourism markets and introduce Oman's tourism product."
The growing trend amongst Chinese tourists is to seek out new and exciting destinations. Oman, with its rich culture, history, natural beauty and drive towards sustainable eco-tourism has the ability to become the target destination for Chinese tourists, Gautam Broota, CEO of Zahara Tours, stated.
The increased disposable income and a growing trend in experience-based travel are driving exponential outbound tourism growth from China. Some 154 million Chinese tourists are forecast to travel internationally in 2018. Each traveller having a much higher purchasing power currently spends averaging US$5,600 on overseas travel annually.