OMAN – The Oman Government started the New Year with a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat.
The development project, which claims to be the country’s first convention and exhibition centre, will include 25,000sqm of exhibition space and 85,000sqm of office space as well as four hotels, an auditorium for 3,000 delegates and a shopping mall.
Oman’s Minister of National Economy, His Excellency Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, said this facility will allow Oman to become a major new destination for business events. “The first win is the direct economic impact of these events themselves, the local employment that comes from exhibition displays, logistics, catering, security and so on, all the many aspects that go to make the successful event.
“The second win is that each event attracts thousands of visitors to the venue, exhibitors and delegates alike. They bring a massive economic impact, spending money on flights, on hotels, on meals and entertainment.
“These will have a major impact on our economy in the future, creating many hundreds of jobs for Omanis and attracting hundreds of thousands of business travellers each year,” he added.
State-sponsored developer, Omran, has been appointed to the project. Omran Chairman and Omani Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Rajiha bint Abdul Ameer bin Ali, said: “Over recent years, Oman has taken major strides forward in attracting tourists to our many leisure resorts and hotels. Our strategy has always been to target the business sector too and this investment will provide us with an outstanding venue for conferences and exhibitions.”
Caption: Oman Government and Omran representative
