(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) GUtech, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), organised the first Oman Tourism Forum (OTF) at its campus in Halban on Wednesday. The event was held under the auspices of H E Maitha al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary in MoT.
In the opening session, Nabil al Busaidy, adventurer and traveller, who was the first Arab and Omani to climb Mount Everest and to row the Atlantic, gave a motivational speech, ‘Discover the Journey'.
Professor Dr Heba Aziz, head of the department of sustainable tourism and regional development, GUtech and president of the forum, explained the aim of organising such an event.
''OTF aims to highlight the current status of tourism development and establish a platform for fruitful discussion among stakeholders on the role of this sector for the economic and social development of the country.''
She added, ''The forum is being organised by the final-year tourism students as part of their event management course. I am proud of their efforts and dedication. The students raised funds to finance this event and convinced important stakeholders to support the initiative. The diverse range of sponsors who are part of this event shows the sectors the tourism industry can impact. Students also designed the logo, came up with the themes, and identified ways in which their event could benefit the local community.''
Papers presented at the forum covered the tourism strategy initiated by MoT and the main tourism indicators presented by the National Center for Statistics and Information.
The forum also included a session on the most recent tourism research conducted in Oman, which includes, ‘A Study on the Experiences and Expectations of Omani Tourism Students' and ‘Perception and Expectations of Omani Tourism Students'. The Oman Tourist Atlas was also unveiled.
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