This Middle Eastern sultanate has plans for spectacular new facilities in the mountains and along its coast in an attempt to attract millions of tourists and turn the country into a holiday hotspot.
Oman, where the 50th meeting of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Middle East is being held, has said it seeks to improve the sector, from the point of view of rural and sustainable development, employment and economic diversification.
The capital, Muscat, hosted the 50th meeting of the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Middle East to assess the current state of tourism in the region and advance shared plans for its future.
The organisation’s objective is to work with its members to make the Middle East a centre of tourism innovation and promote it in the global market.
In 2023, the countries in this geographical area led the recovery of the tourism sector, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, well above the levels of 2019 (122 percent), reaching 87.1 million international tourists.
Omani Tourism authorities have been satisfied with the number of tourists who entered the sultanate in 2023 – around four million – which represented a great recovery after the effects of the pandemic. Data from last year confirms that employment in the sector grew by 15 percent in 2023, supporting 191,500 jobs nationwide.
During the same period, international tourists contributed about £2.23 billion to the economy. This marks a significant increase of 69 percent compared with 2022. Since then, the Ministry of Tourism of Oman has clearly outlined its objectives and is working to increase the number of tourists to 11 million in the year 2040. The “Oman Vision 2040” is based on the diversification of its economy by investing more in sustainability and tourism, including reducing its dependence on oil revenues.
The aim is to increase the tourism sector’s GDP contribution from a modest 2.4 percent in 2021 to 5 percent by 2030, with the ultimate goal of reaching 10 percent in 2040.
The UNWTO believes that the sector will increase its contribution to GDP to more than £7.7 billion in 2024, representing 7.6 percent of the country’s total economy. It is also expected to employ more than 206,000 people nationwide. With these figures, one in every fourteen people will work in the tourism sector.
Oman has developed a tourism plan with important innovations in its mountain and sea destinations. One such innovation is the promotion of a new destination on the Jebel Akhdar Mountain – “The Green Mountain” – developed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning of Oman (MoHUP). The new destination will be built about 93 miles from Muscat, at an altitude of 2,400 metres.
The approach focuses on offering a diverse range of natural experiences, respecting the natural ecology and community in and around Jebel Akhdar Mountain. The overall budget of £1.87 billion will provide both housing for residents and accommodation for tourists. The three peak villages will offer 2,527 residences to accommodate more than 8,000 people, and 2,000 hotel rooms to accommodate some 2,350 overnight visitors, as well as around 2,000 tourists daily.
The complex will also have a wellness centre, a training centre, an amphitheatre, a museum, a new cable car to access the area and the Wadi Al Harbi park, a leisure and biodiversity space. It will also have areas dedicated to leisure and sporting activities including rock climbing, bungee jumping and mountain biking. External solar parks dependent solely on renewable energy are also planned to be installed.
Omani authorities will also work to improve the future of port and marine facilities and infrastructure, developing collaborative strategies to elevate the tourism sector in Oman following successful examples such as Dubai. The Sultanate enjoys an extensive coral strip, which could see spectacular progress if adequately equipped for sea travel and entertainment.
Oman also offers a 14-day visa-free entry to the Sultanate, while developing more roadshows, workshops and travel fairs abroad and trying to attract more international airlines to Muscat.
The optimism of tourism prospects is shared by the UNWTO, which reported that last year the Middle East travel and tourism sector expanded more than 25 percent, reaching almost £359 billion. Similarly, employment in the tourism industry increased to almost 7.75 million people and international spending increased by 50 percent to almost £141 billion, while spending by local visitors increased 16.5 percent to exceed £195 billion.
New destinations are being sought and between 2018 and 2023, Middle Eastern countries have confirmed 109 projects with an investment of £5.3 billion which focus heavily on the preservation of the environment and local communities.
