Friday 21 / February / 2025
Muscat: The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre has won the World’s Leading New Exhibition & Convention Centre Award at the World Travel Awards 2019.
The win recognises the Omran property’s commitment to excellence and establishes the Sultanate as an emerging business tourism destination. The World Travel Awards are voted on by travel and tourism professionals and consumers around the world who selected the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre out of a lineup of six nominees that included venues in Miami, Japan and Australia.
“This is a truly well-deserved award for the team here at OCEC who have put in every effort to bring the venue to the standard it is at today. It is also a deserved recognition for our owners, Omran, who had the vision and the commitment to provide the Sultanate with such a remarkable destination that provides opportunity and prosperity for the country,” said Said Salim Al Shanfari, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre.
“Surrounded by this beautiful land, we have an absolutely state-of-the-art venue and a team who work tirelessly to ensure a high standard of service with a warm and friendly Omani welcome for our guests. It is a privilege to have all of that recognised with this award and to play a small part in the Sultanate’s development.”
The World Travel Awards are globally recognised as the most prestigious honours programme in global travel and tourism.
With additional Omani winners including travel tour companies, hotels, and airlines, the Sultanate swept the floor at the ceremony, showcasing its best and stepping out from the crowd as a top destination for luxury and business travellers around the world.
As Muscat stepped up to host the awards’ Grand Final Gala Ceremony at the Royal Opera House Muscat, figureheads and decision-makers of the global travel industry descended on Oman to recognize some of the world’s finest travel brands. Oman received a staggering 16 awards from a total of 144, with Oman Airports picking up 3, including the Middle East’s Leading Airport award and the World’s Leading Airport Operator.
The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, with 22,000sqm of column-free exhibition space, 2 ballrooms and 19 meeting rooms, has spent the last 3 years of pre-opening operations securing international exhibitions and earning its leading position within Oman.
Completed with an iconic roof design that depicts the classic Sultan Qaboos Rose, many aspects of the venue pay tribute to the Sultanate and reinforce the venue’s commitment to the nation – from employment programmes to attract and develop Omani employees, through to environmental programmes to protect Oman’s natural beauty and raise awareness for sustainability-driven initiatives.
Located just 10 minutes from Muscat International Airport, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre has a lineup of new events in the pipework, including the 40th SICOT Orthopedic World Congress, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) Congress, the World Cancer Congress & the International Gas Research Conference 2020, to name a few.
