Muscat: Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran Group) has concluded the first edition of the "Hikayat Balad" Business Accelerator, which aimed to transform promising ideas into viable projects capable of providing high-quality products and services to the tourism sector.
According to Oman News Agency, the closing ceremony was held under the patronage of Azzan Qasim Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Omran Group. The participating startups showcased their projects and solutions designed to enhance the tourist experience in the Sultanate of Oman before an audience of investors, partners, and entrepreneurs.
The accelerator, implemented in strategic partnership with Al Jabr MENA, served as an extension of the outcomes of the 2024 "Hikayat Balad" Hackathon. It aimed to support entrepreneurs and enable startups to develop their projects and enhance their growth opportunities through an integrated program that included mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and networking with investors and partners in the tourism sector.
Over the past months, the accelerator received 29 applications from Omani entrepreneurs, which were screened to select seven startups representing the sectors of travel technology, tourism platforms, agritech, and property technology. These startups underwent a comprehensive track encompassing idea crystallization, business acceleration, and intensive mentorship, resulting in two companies securing seed funding-a clear indicator of the commercial viability of these projects.