Representatives of Reed Travel Exhibitions the organisers of ATM were in Muscat last week to meet key players from across the country and discuss opportunities at this year's event.

A press release stated that Oman hopes to leverage its international profile which sawinbound tourist numbers rise by an average of 7.4 per cent per annum between 2005-14.

MoT has predicted that the country's hotel room capacity is set to grow at an annual rate of 5.3 per cent over the next three to four years.

'Oman's tourism strategy through to 2040 has an investment value of US$35bn and the country is working hard to increase its global appeal with exciting initiatives such as the launch of an e-visa system by ROP in February last year' said Nadege Noblet-Segers exhibition manager ATM.

'It has also been a destination on several travel hotlists and was ranked 20th on the New York Times' list of one of the 52 places to visit in 2015 as well as gaining kudos from popular travel site Skift which last year named it as the number one spot in the region saying that it packs a lot [into] a small package' she added.

It is also seventh out among the 100 places most favoured by Muslim tourists according to the Global Muslim Travel Index.

Figures released by the Oman Airports Management Company show that Muscat airport registered an 18 per cent rise in passenger numbers in 2015 surpassing the 10mn mark for the first time in its operational history while Salalah Airport also saw a rise in traffic by 22 per cent to reach more than 1mn passengers.

Accessibility is a key focus with Oman Air for example launching a new route to Dhaka and enhancing capacity to Frankfurt Colombo Tehran and Dammam.

'These figures are indicative of the growing appeal of Oman to a diverse international audience and the country is expanding its tourism offerings to cater to all segments including mid-market which is something that we are focusing on this year as our spotlight theme' said Nadege.

'This is responding not only to the needs of the more budget-conscious traveller but also for those whom quality and experience-led travel doesn't necessarily have to mean a five-star price tag' she added.

According to Reed Travel Exhibitions-commissioned Q3 2015 YouGov Travel Oracle insight report 36 per cent of surveyed leisure travellers from the region now choose budget hotels when travelling for pleasure.

'Asian expats the most likely to opt for low cost accommodation (52 per cent) and 35 per cent of all respondents stating that reasonable cost is one of the most important elements when considering a leisure destination' the released added.

Overall 41 per cent of travellers interviewed had a per person trip budget of US$1000 or less thus putting cost high on the priority list.

ATM 2016 will build on the success of last year's edition which witnessed a year-on-year visitor attendance increase of 15 per cent to over 26000.