Mona Tannous, Country Manager Sultanate of Oman Tourism, Jacqui Walshe, CEO The Walshe Group, Her Excellency, Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Oman

Her Excellency, Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism was presented with the Australian Federation of Travel Agents’ award (AFTA) for the Best International Tourism Board of the Year. The award, voted by industry peers, was presented to Her Excellency by Mona Tannous and Jacqui Walshe, CEO of Southern Travel, the company representing Oman in the Australian/New Zealand tourism market.

Her Excellency said “International Tourism Board of the Year award is fiercely contested and a great accomplishment in a market place dominated by agents aligned to major airlines and representative offices with much larger budgets. It is industry endorsement of our Australian strategy, growing respect for our brand, and a reflection of the quality and focus of our team” she said.

The award is the first international award of its kind to be won by the Ministry of Tourism, and follows the launch of The Side Trip of a Lifetime campaign and website. The campaign calls on Australian’s travelling to the Middle East, Europe and Africa to take a side trip to Oman.

Mona Tannous said “the campaign set us apart from our competitors. Oman is still an emerging destination for Australian travelers because of the lack of direct flights, and the campaign is a innovative way to educate travel agents and consumers, and generate about visiting beautiful Oman”.

The award presentation marks the start of the annual meeting in Muscat of the Ministry’s international representatives, running to 11 September. An briefing for travel and tourism trade businesses is scheduled at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel from 09:00 to 13:00hrs on Monday 10 September.