Oman aiming to diversify tourism offerings and increase hotel rooms

Oman witnessed more than 3 million tourists last year into the sultanate, of which 1.4 million were GCC citizens. 200,000 were cruise ship passengers. This comes in line with the Oman Tourism Strategy to welcome 11 million tourists by 2040.The Ministry of Tourism is placing a greater emphasis on the recent surge in popularity that Oman has witnessed for increasing awareness and promoting the country as a key tourism destination – throwing the spotlight on what makes the sultanate a diverse and rich destination at a series of global tourism events and travel fairs.The number of hotels also grew by 12.3 per cent in 2017-18, showing a 7.8 per cent growth in the amount of rooms available in the country.Regarding key achievements, Salem Bin Adey Al Mamari, the director general of Tourism Promotion, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said: “The recent growth of the tourism sector in the sultanate is very pleasing and is the direct result of sustained campaigns, initiatives and programs by the Ministry to raise the country’s profile and promote investment in the sector.”