More than 90 chefs and food industry leaders to join leading food event

November 13, 2019: As part of a major move to further enhance the Sultanate of Oman’s global competitiveness in the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) confirmed its support to ‘Food Festival - Muscat Eat 3’, which comes back with great momentum in a 3rd edition to surpass the remarkable success of the last two editions. The upcoming event attracts huge participation from renowned international chefs and food lovers and meets MoT’s strategic goal of celebrating the Sultanate’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage, in line with the tourism sector’s development plan under the Oman Tourism Strategy 2040.

The Muscat Eat 3 has fully expanded to further bring the event to new heights following the success of the previous editions by bringing in diversity, excellence and inclusiveness into the event. This edition will witness new features such as the First Omani Food Festival, Mobile Food Carts Festival and Food Festival at Al Mouj Golf Course with participation of more than 90 high-profile chefs, restaurant owners and leading Omani and international entities from the food sector showcasing their international delicacies and traditional Omani cuisine, amidst a fun and entertaining atmosphere to meet the desires of all visitors.

Anwar Said Al Balushi, Director of Tourism Events Department, Oman MoT, said: “Our support to the ‘Food Festival - Muscat Eat 3’ complements our endeavor to enhance all aspects of the Omani tourism sector, including food, and position the Sultanate amongst the world’s leading tourism destinations. Over the past two editions, the Festival has proved to be a major contributor to the growth of tourism, attracting tens of thousands of food lovers, which further established Oman’s leadership as a global destination for outstanding hospitality. The third edition adds great new value as it hosts a series of interactive activities that allow visitors to explore Oman's most popular folk dishes with its rich flavors as well as enjoy the best of international cuisine, prepared by the best local and international chefs. Visitors will also have an opportunity to enjoy the essence of Omani hospitality, which is characterized by originality, generosity and exceptional reception.”

“Key events such as the Food Festival - Muscat Eat are testament to the Sultanate's ability to attract tourists from Gulf countries and the world to achieve the goals outlined in the Oman Tourism Strategy 2040. We are highly confident that the upcoming edition of the festival will be a successful step towards enhancing the contribution of SMEs in supporting the growth of the tourism sector, which has its competitive advantages regionally and globally.”

Sarah Najeeb Al Balushi, Founder of Muscat Food Festival, commended the continued support of the Ministry of Tourism to the festival, which has become one of the most successful events in Oman, noting that the festival provides tourists with one-of-a-kind opportunity to enjoy delicious Omani dishes and many other cuisines from around the world, enticing the taste buds of food lovers. Al Balushi continues: “In this third season, the festival continues to highlight the distinctive features of Omani cuisine which is rich in flavors and are popular among international tourists. The upcoming event will attract a wide range of leading chefs and well-known names in the world of food, with a strong presence of SMEs that continue to make important contributions to enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of Oman's tourism sector. We are looking forward to the expansion of this festival with the high vision of becoming a leading regional and global festival.”

The third edition of Food Festival - Muscat Eat will run for three whole weekends. The First Omani Food Festival will kick off from November 14 to 16, 2019 which will be followed by the Food Truck Festival featuring food trucks and pop up street stalls on November 28 to 30 the following week. The culminating food festival will be taking place on December 5 to 7, which will showcase the launch of several recreational and entertaining programs as well as a bunch of exclusive offers.

The second edition of Food Festival – Muscat Eat witnessed a remarkable participation of more than 28,000 food lovers from local as well as foreign visitors for three days. The festival featured the distinctive nature of Omani food with special focus on classic Omani dishes.