Oman Economic Review – July 2019

COVER STORY

20 July 2019

F

or centuries Oman has been

an important transcontinental

crossroad, a trading hub

between east and west and a

popular stopover point between

Asia, Europe and Africa. Once known

as the Gulf ’s hidden gem and home to

stunning natural assets that include

rugged mountains, pristine beaches

with crystal-blue waters that define

the word ‘azure’ and forts straight

out of tales of the ‘Arabian Nights’,

the Sultanate is now getting kitted out

with massive tourism infrastructure,

positioning itself as a magnet for

business visitors and a must-visit

destination for leisure tourists.

With an ambitious goal to attract 11

million visitors annually by 2040, the

government has invested heavily in

numerous projects to help boost the

tourism sector. State-of-the-art airports,

an ambitious national airline and a

host of exciting new developments

including a modern convention centre

constructed to help the Sultanate

compete for major conferences are

set to help Oman reach its tourism

goals. Oman is also sharpening its

focus on niche tourism segments,

from adventure travellers to group

business and the meetings industry.

Some of the most important objectives

of the Oman Tourism Strategy include

increasing the contribution of the sector

to the GDP to 6-10 per cent, creating

535,000 jobs in the sector, achieving

social responsibility index of 850/1000,

achieving over 11 million international

and local tourists and achieving 14

million room nights.

WELCOMING

THE WORLD

With a 20-year tourism strategy already bearing fruit, the

Sultanate appears well on track to hit its target of 11 million

tourists annually by 2040. Muhammed Nafie reports