Oman Travel Mart will be held from February 17 to 19 at Oman International Exhibition Centre

This was announced by Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE), the premier organizer of major trade fairs in the country.

Now in its 6th successive year, OTM presents a diverse range of destinations to Omanis, expatriates and international travelers. OTM provides the travel and tourism industry in the country and across the globe with greater opportunities to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business on a single platform and capitalize on the rapidly growing market in Oman and the Gulf-wide region.

According to Mr. Atif Khan, Senior Manager - Trade Fairs at OITE, "OTM is an unparalleled event catering to the travel & tourism industry worldwide. This year, we are set to build on the success of last year's event. OTM will attract international participation from various countries such as Malaysia, India, Thailand, Egypt and Turkey among others."

"OTM 2009 also features three special attractions including tourism properties, medical tourism and tourism investments making OTM a global marketplace," Mr. Khan said.

The tourism properties zone showcases a number of properties and developments across the sultanate, aimed at attracting inbound tourists and travel honchos to various real estate projects in the Sultanate.

The medical tourism pavilion caters to the growing demand of travel for treatment and rejuvenation purposes, providing an opportunity for the middle and high income class to get instant access to safe alternatives to medical, dental, cardio and surgical procedures in countries offering cost effective treatment and state-of-the-art healthcare facilities.

The tourism investment pavilion is aimed at encouraging foreign investors and financial institutions to partner or invest in Oman's thriving tourism industry and to tap into the country's lucrative market.

Oman is actively promoting itself as an adventure and natural holiday destination and aiming to reach a 3 per cent contribution in the country's GDP. As such, the country's tourism sector is witnessing unprecedented growth, ranked by the World Travel and Tourism Council as among the fastest growing in the world.

"OTM provides local and international travelers with greater opportunities to explore unlimited vacation choices, as well as tourism investments, medical and health tourism opportunities from Asia, the Gulf-wide region and beyond," Mr. Khan added.

A three-day event, OTM will house various exhibitors such as tourism promotion organizations, adventure and sports sector, business and incentives, tourism institutions and leisure centres, environment sector, transport and services, travel insurance and banking services, national and regional tourism offices, hotels and nature resorts, property and real estate, airlines, airport and cargo services, travel management services, sight-seeing, museums and technology providers among others.