#IAmTourism Campaign: How Responsible Tourism is Shaping Business Opportunities in Oman
Dr. Salim Al Flaiti on Oman’s #IAmTourism Initiative: Building Responsible Tourism Through Responsible Jobs
Tourism stories often highlight iconic destinations, headline attractions, and visitor numbers, but the most critical element of any visitor’s experience is human— from the receptionist resolving issues, to the guide bringing heritage sites to life, to young Omanis choosing hospitality as a career rather than a temporary job. Responsible tourism begins with responsible employment—offering quality training, equitable opportunities, clear career paths, and partnerships that make these goals tangible.
OMRAN Group’s #IAmTourism strategy embodies this belief. Centered around four actionable pillars—Educate, Attract, Retain, and Partner—the initiative strives to make tourism a preferred career choice for Omanis, not a fallback option. Between 2022 and 2025, the program has raised awareness in schools, created structured entry points into hotels and tourism enterprises, invested in leadership development, and fostered collaboration among government bodies, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders. The unifying idea is clear: responsible tourism is unachievable without a motivated, skilled, and proud workforce.
Why This Matters Now
Tourism is a rapid source of employment worldwide and regionally. However, the sector commonly faces high turnover, skill shortages, and the perception of hospitality work as low-status. These issues diminish service quality and curtail tourism’s social impact. Responsible tourism demands moving beyond merely providing jobs to fostering meaningful, sustainable careers.
The Four Pillars of #IAmTourism
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Educate: Recruitment depends on awareness. Through school roadshows, classroom modules developed with the Global Travel & Tourism Partnership (GTTP), and collaborations with colleges, #IAmTourism demonstrates to young Omanis that tourism careers are creative, tech-enabled, collaborative, and tied to national pride. Teachers and career counselors also play a crucial role in shaping aspirations.
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Attract: Creating clear entry pathways is essential. Programs like Midhiyaf (training with hotel placements), MASARAT (graduate development featuring job rotations and mentoring), and GIFTed (inclusion pathways for people with disabilities) provide supported routes into the sector. The message is simple: motivated individuals committed to service and learning can find structured opportunities without needing to leave Oman.
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Retain: Talent retention is as vital as attraction. Initiatives such as SHIFT and LIFT focus on developing supervisory and managerial skills through blended learning and workplace projects, while GIFT promotes women’s advancement into leadership roles. Retention improves when employees envision career growth, feel included, and receive coaching rather than mere scheduling from managers.
- Partner: Addressing systemic challenges requires collaboration. #IAmTourism partners with the Ministries of Labour, Heritage and Tourism, Education, and Social Development; leading hotel chains; and global organizations like the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and GTTP. These partnerships ensure policy, training, and job creation are seamlessly integrated, moving intentions into action.
Impact on the Ground
- Career identity is evolving from a “temporary job” toward a “professional pathway.” Engagement with schools and role model storytelling shifts family perceptions positively.
- Barriers to entry have lowered with paid, mentored programs, vital for young people unable to afford unpaid internships.
- Retention is improving as newcomers gain coaching, career progression plans, and recognition, making leadership development fundamental to workforce stability.
- Inclusion moves beyond rhetoric. Initiatives supporting women and individuals with disabilities broaden the talent pool and align with visitor values.
Lessons for Other Destinations
- Make workforce quality a core responsibility alongside environmental and cultural stewardship—track not just job numbers but access, advancement, and retention.
- Share authentic stories about tourism work using real professionals and workplaces to help youth visualize viable futures.
- Create seamless links among schools, colleges, and employers with aligned standards and incentives; practical placements trump theoretical training alone.
- Invest in first-line leaders who shape daily work experiences through coaching and conflict resolution, boosting retention.
- Design inclusion into programs from the start, proving accessibility and gender equity enhance performance and outcomes.
A Human Story
A typical Midhiyaf participant might be a college graduate from outside Muscat, initially uncertain about hospitality. After structured learning and rotations through front office and food and beverage departments, she progresses into leadership development and begins mentoring new trainees. Such predictable pathways illustrate the system’s strength—success is the rule, not the exception.
What Success Looks Like
For guests, it means higher-quality service and authentic experiences. For businesses, lower turnover and stronger teams. For Oman, diversified economic growth, national pride, and careers that retain talent locally. For tourism itself, responsibility becomes tangible—not merely in environmental metrics but in people thriving at work.
The Way Forward
No strategy can resolve every challenge. Skills must evolve with technology, and collaboration must endure beyond political changes. Oman’s model offers a pragmatic blueprint: Educate early, Attract through fair access, Retain by nurturing leadership and well-being, and Partner widely. This approach transforms tourism promises into measurable progress.
Responsible tourism starts with responsible jobs. Investing in people enhances the entire destination—one warm welcome, one resolved issue, one promoted supervisor at a time.
تحلیل ویژه از عمانت | بازار عمان را کشف کنید
Oman’s #IAmTourism strategy signals a transformative shift for businesses, emphasizing the professionalization of tourism careers through education, structured entry pathways, and leadership development. Smart investors and entrepreneurs should see this as an opportunity to tap into a motivated, skilled local workforce, reducing turnover and enhancing service quality, while also championing inclusion and sustainability to align with global tourism trends. By prioritizing workforce development and cross-sector partnerships, Oman positions itself for sustainable, diversified growth in tourism that benefits both the economy and society.
