Oman is eyeing Indian tourists

According to a report:

In a bid to increase awareness and acquaint the Indian travel trade with Oman’s tourism products and offerings, Oman Tourism plans to conduct a four-city road show in February 2012. The road shows will be held in Mumbai on February 3, Bengaluru on February 6, Chennai on February 7 and in Delhi on February 8. This year will see a two-fold increase in the number of participants, with a total of twelve tourism suppliers attending the road shows as compared to last year’s six. Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative – Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman said, “We see India as one of the most promising markets for tourism. These road shows are being conducted in order to educate the Indian travel trade on the potential of Oman as an ideal destination for clients looking for luxurious short-haul vacations. This year, we have more participants in the road show as compared to last year, which will surely bring out the best of Oman to the Indian travel trade and we will also give the travel trade an opportunity to interact with the delegates.”

According to Sheerazi, Oman Tourism would be promoting Muscat, Nizwa, Sur/Ras Al Jinz and Wahiba Sands in India. Additionally, Oman Tourism is planning to continue its offline training programmes in the four metros and is also considering taking the programmes to other Indian cities. Participation in events organised by association like TAFI and TAAI are also on the agenda. Apart from the road shows and training programmes, Oman Tourism will also organise familiarisation trips for the travel trade and the travel and mainstream media. Sheerazi added, “We will continue to create awareness through advertorials in both mainstream and trade publications. The metros will continue to be our focus markets but we will also explore a few of the feeder markets that have been performing well on the outbound front.”

Cox and Kings Ltd is offering tailor-made holiday packages to Indian tourists. And below are the rates:

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Health is wealth and more wealth for hospitals

It is raining polyclinics and private hospitals in Oman these days, but they still have a long way to go in terms of quality of healthcare being offered. I recently went to a hospital in Ruwi to treat my nagging shoulder pain, and the physician advised me to go for an ECG and X-ray. Both the reports were normal, and the doctor referred me to an orthopedic. I decided not to see an ortho and called it quits. My shoulder pain eased by itself, thankfully. While waiting for my reports, I noticed that the same physician had referred most of his patients for either a blood test, X-ray or an EGG. It is no secret that hospitals are money-making ventures these days, and they use the insurance facility of patients to the hilt by making them undergo tests which are unnecessary and doesn’t make sense at times. So much so that it is tough to come out of a hospital without undergoing a few tests these days. The health-conscious patients don’t mind these tests because they don’t have to spend from their own pockets. In some cases, the insurances companies make it necessary (depending on the bands) for the hospitals to take permission for some routine test like ultrasound.

A doctor who has been working in Oman for more than a decade said he sympathized with doctors of these big hospitals who are given a target to achieve every month. It is more business-like, he said. Other than the consultation fee (which is negligible in many cases), they are forced to refer patients for unnecessary and sundry tests which will add to their targets, and to the hospital’s coffers ultimately. Recently, a gentleman approached a decent private hospital in the capital for a nagging headache, and without blinking an eyelid the physician said he might be having a brain tumour, and advised a CT scan and many other tests. It is a different story the man scooted from the place and took a second opinion from another hospital. It was not a tumor after all. The physician might be qualified, but his corporate-job requirements make sure that he sees a revenue model in every opportunity. So much for healthcare here.

The year that was

2011 was quite a year for me professionally. Though it was not the best of years, I did take a couple of big decisions (which includes launching a communication agency with a focus on social media) in run up to 2012 goals. Here are some highlights of the year, including my New Year resolution:

* My social media resolution for 2012 is to blog more on kishorcariappa.com. Yes, over the years I have realised the potential and reach of blogging vis-à-vis Twitter, Facebook and the likes. I am not underestimating the power of other social media networks, but I believe blogging would be the right space to spend quality time at this juncture. I have made friends, got projects, got referrals by way of blogging and often when I introduce myself to strangers, I get a reply, “Oh, you are that blogging guy or we like your blog.” It is a different story that over the last two years, I have neglected my blog for a variety of reasons. Like they say water will find its own level, I have come to the conclusion that blogging is here to stay, and nothing can match the quality of interaction (comments) happening on blogs, even now. Not that I will stop interacting on Twitter, Facebook or Google+, I will make an honest effort to post more and regularly. Yeah, yeah, another brilliant thing about blogs I like is that it is super search-engine friendly.

* 2011 was a crucial year for me personally it terms of saying goodbye to mundane things and working on some exciting projects. I learnt a lot about different domains, and connected with a lot of like-minded people, including intelligent clients. The year taught me to handle invoices, quotations, business communications and all sorts of paper-work which I had not bothered to learn in my earlier roles. Taking a calculated risk, I did venture into unknown territories, and felt I should have done it 2-3 years earlier. But, then everything happens at the right time.

* I believe success is all about 50 percent hard work and 50 percent luck. I have tried to add more focus on the ‘hard work’ bit, but somehow to make it work, luck factor is crucial. There are times when you do all the work, take it to the last level with effort, but it doesn’t work out for you in the end. And, there are times success is achieved with little or no effort. 50:50 works for me the best at this point of time.

* Since my role includes marketing, I did learn the hard way to pitch and quote the right price for the services we offer. The trick in Oman is to not to quote too high, not undercut – but strike a healthy balance for the services offered. The whole idea is to provide quality service, get the work done; build confidence and look for long-term alliances rather than focus on short-term benefits.

* Who said clients can be friends? Some of my clients are my good friends, and they appreciate the kind of work we do for them. They also refer new clients for me. Nothing like referrals you see. Some clients are miserable. They take you for a ride by not paying for the services or bargain hard to save some bucks here and there. I learnt this year to let go clients who are tough to manage and work with. There is a revenue loss obviously, but there are times when you say enough is enough and can’t take the crap anymore. It is tough to work with people who don’t stick to their words and change tunes each day.

…and finally thank you for your comments, encouragement and feedback. Best wishes for a happy, safe and peaceful New Year.

Weekend at Desert Nights Camp

We were at Desert Nights Camp in Al Wasil over the weekend. It is a two-and-a-half hours drive from Muscat towards Sur, and around 50 km from Ibra town. We had a gala time indulging in activities like sunset and sunrise watching, dune bashing, camel ride, quad biking, visit to a Bedouin house, etc. Good food and friendly staff made our stay memorable. If you wish to have a great desert experience, Desert Nights Camp is the place to be.

Here are some photos clicked during the trip.

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(Photos: Kishor Cariappa)

Social media is here to stay

This is my piece on social media in Oman which was published in Times of Oman today. You can read the PDF format here.

More and more companies in Oman are embracing social media like never before, taking to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other tools in droves to connect with the customers of tomorrow.

People in the Sultanate are getting used to the online way of life by preferring online payment facilities from shopping to ordering food to buying tickets to watch their favourite flick in the town. And, they do it with more confidence and trust as never before. For them, internet is now much more than just emails and Google search. Thanks to falling internet connectivity prices, plus invasion of smart phones and tablets, now people are connected to the online world round the clock.

With substantial number of active Facebook and Twitter users, brands are finding it easy to spread the word about them over the web. They talk to their audience directly, and in some cases even offer them discounts and freebies as part of their customer service approach. In some cases, the audience is given a chance to win free concert tickets or gift vouchers for brand promotion activities such as online quizzes.

Not to be left behind, quite a few social media agencies are operating in Oman, advising brands on the potential and way forward to use social media tools with precision.

From online discussion forums to blogs, people are getting information at a pace which a static website can never match. Whether it is food reviews, new restaurant launches or even traffic updates, many people are using or relying on social media as their primary source of information.

Of course, in Oman online advertising is not as lucrative as it is in the west. A lot of major companies are still not tracking referrals from other sites. Thanks to platforms like Corporate Blog, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Facebook, brands are now realising the power of internet like never before. Facebook is very popular in Oman, and as per recent estimates, there are around 329,000 users in the country, which makes it 103rd in the Facebook worldwide ranking.

But it cannot be denied that the Sultanate has a long way to go in terms of adoption of the internet as a complete source of information and the alignment of infrastructure to support that. As of now, the available infrastructure is limited to urban and semi-urban areas.

Recent trends on social media and consumer behaviour have shown that a large number of customers are actively seeking and searching product information online and through social media platforms.

The majority of businesses in the region are slowly realising the importance of having social media in their overall media relations and marketing plan, but lack the know-how to create the buzz online. Even government institutions too are jumping onto the social media bandwagon to deliver and share information with their audience but cautiously.

No organisation, whether in public or private sector, can afford to ignore the potential of social media in today’s world. If they don’t wake up soon to take advantage of the opportunity, then they can be sure of their competition overtaking them.

One of the reasons for companies to shun social media in Oman is the transparency it gets into the scheme of things. Once brands are in, they can’t dictate terms to the users like the traditional media which is more of a one-way communication. Many companies in Oman are still wary about social media as they feel the privacy of the company is invaded and their reputation hurt by way of honest feedback. The trend is changing for sure but slowly. It is important for brands in Oman to realise that social media gets transparency into their business which is so vital in today’s world. They get to listen to honest feedback which can be used to improve their services and fine-tune products.

Social media is a cool and cost effective way to build a lasting relationship with customers and partners. Unlike the traditional advertising acquaintance, social media helps the company to talk to its customer, and this can help in building relationship for life.

Imagine this. A customer is having problem with his internet connection, and he contacts the telecom company using social networking tools. The company listens to his problem and solves it immediately. Isn’t he a happy customer? There is every possibility of him telling about his experience to his friends. Imagine the kind of goodwill the company generates. Similarly, local banks, hotels, trading companies, fashion brands, stores, etc, can reap benefits by adopting social media quickly.

A recent survey of chief marketing officers has highlighted the ever-growing importance of social media marketing and found strong trends in its use for business-to-customer (B2C) marketing. The survey revealed that firms continue to emphasise social media, which is forecasted to grow from the existing 6 per cent to 18 per cent of marketing budgets within the next five years.

B2C companies are devoting more resources to nurturing existing customer relationships through increased spending on social media, brand building and integrating what they know about customers into their work. About 32 per cent of firms surveyed expect to eliminate channel partners and other ‘middle man’ relationships in order to maintain direct contact with customers while reducing costs. Brands cannot afford to ignore social media if they want to stay ahead of the competition.

Be social in every way possible. That is the future.

4 years on Twitter

I have been on Twitter for four long years now. It has been an interesting journey and I have clocked nearly 32,000 tweets in the process. In Oman, Twitter was an unheard social media entity until a couple of years back, and thanks to the Arab Spring, the medium really caught the fancy of local netizens. In 2011, people jumped into Twitter bandwagon to follow updates on Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and the likes.

Local tweeps or Twitter users are growing by the day, and tweeting on a variety of topics ranging from technology to traffic updates to food to weather. I do follow quite a few interesting tweeps in Oman, and interact with them on a regular basis. The best thing about Twitter for me is the pace at which the news breaks. It is only later the print, online media and TV channels pick up the leads and go in-depth into the stories. Well, like it happens with citizen journalism, it is always advisable to take breaking news stuff with a pinch of salt due to the credibility factor.

Another good thing about Twitter is that you can engage with like-minded folks who share similar interests like you. Over the years, I have been to many tweet-ups (informal gathering of Twitter users) in Oman. Meeting people offline is a different experience altogether and I should acknowledge that I have met some really nice people and quite a few off-putting types in the process. For many, Twitter becomes an addiction – they are on it from 6am till 12am 24×7. Once they are addicted, they want to prove their worth, attract more followers and end up doing stupid things to be in the limelight. I know some people offline who are active on Twitter, and I must admit that sometimes their tweets sound so unreal and doesn’t sync a bit with their real life personality. It is so easy to fake larger-than-life image on Twitter.

I do like a lot of tweeps from Oman, India and elsewhere who constantly keep me entertained and informed about the topics I like. But, I think blogging is any day better than Twitter in terms of having meaningful conversations with knowledgeable people. Thanks to Twitter, many happening bloggers have either stopped blogging or blogging once in a blue moon just to keep their blog alive. After ignoring my blog for a couple of years, I have now realised that nothing can come close to charm of blogging. It may be old school, but it is still very relevant. Ask Google search.

(My Twitter handle: @KishorCariappa)