HORECA Oman opened its fifth edition on Monday 14 September 2026 at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, and it runs until 16 September. The hospitality and food-service exhibition has more than 200 exhibitors, more than 30 competitions and masterclasses, and over 250 competitors, from a Salon Culinaire to a junior chef contest.
Read as a trade fair, it is a place to buy equipment and ingredients. Read as a snapshot, it shows how Oman is building a homegrown hospitality and culinary industry alongside its drive to attract visitors.
Who is behind it
The exhibition is held under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Hamoud bin Qais al Said. It is co-organised by Hospitality Services and Al Nimr Expo, with support from the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources. The local partner is Sanatna, which Hospitality News ME describes as a 100% Omani initiative.
A note on sources: Hospitality News ME is published by Hospitality Services, which co-organises the show, so the Oman Observer provides the independent account of the exhibition's figures.
Joumana Dammous-Salamé, managing director of Hospitality Services, described HORECA Oman as an important annual meeting place where professionals come together. Salim bin Omar al Hashmi, chief executive of Al Nimr Expo, said the exhibition helps position Oman as an evolving destination for investment and growth.
The scale of the show
The numbers give a sense of the event:
- More than 200 exhibitors
- Over 1,500 local and international brands from seven countries
- More than 5,500 sq m of exhibition space
- An expected 8,000 buyers and trade visitors
- More than 30 competitions and masterclasses
- Over 250 competitors
- More than 40 speakers, experts and guest chefs
For a market the size of Oman's, that is a substantial gathering. The seven participating countries show that the event draws suppliers from beyond the Sultanate, which gives local buyers a view of what is available in the wider region.
The competitions
The competition programme is the part of HORECA Oman that most closely reflects the culinary side of the industry. The Oman Observer and Hospitality News ME list the Hospitality Salon Culinaire, Junior Chef and Art of Service among the contests.
A Salon Culinaire is a showcase in which chefs present dishes to a panel of judges, and Junior Chef gives younger cooks a stage of their own. Art of Service recognises the front of house: the skills of those who lay the table, present the dish and look after the guest. Together they cover the whole experience of eating out, from the plate to the room.
Competitions are useful to a young industry for a practical reason. They give cooks and service staff a measurable target, and they show employers where talent is. The sources read do not report the winners, so no results are given here.
A talks programme alongside
The HORECA Talks programme runs alongside the exhibition, according to Hospitality News ME. The sources do not list the sessions in detail, and coffee-related content is covered separately in a BYGEARS feature on Oman's specialty coffee scene.
With more than 40 speakers, experts and guest chefs on the bill, the talks function as the educational counterpart to the competitions: one shows technique, the other discusses the business.
What it says about Oman
Oman's tourism offer, from its coast to its mountains, depends on a supply of trained chefs, service staff and suppliers. HORECA Oman is a place where that supply chain is visible. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism's support and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources' backing suggest that food and hospitality are seen as part of the same plan.
Al Hashmi's description of Oman as an evolving destination for investment and growth fits that reading. The show is a business event, but its competitions and judging also put the country's own hospitality talent on display.
The Sanatna partnership adds another angle. Describing it as a 100% Omani initiative points to an emphasis on local ownership.
What comes next
The show ends on 16 September, and its organisers will count the trade visitors against the expected 8,000. The sources read do not yet report final attendance, competition winners or deals signed, so a full assessment will have to wait.
For readers in the wider Gulf, the event offers a reminder that the region's food scene is not only Dubai, Riyadh and Doha. Oman is building a kitchen of its own, and Muscat's convention centre has become its practice floor.
Sources: Oman Observer, Hospitality News ME