Wednesday 13 / November / 2024
Muscat: With the cruise season in Oman having crossed the halfway mark, 217,000 tourists have already visited the Sultanate, 47.6 per cent more than during the last season, the Ministry of Tourism said on Thursday.
It also said the total number of visitors to Oman stood at 3 million in 2016, up by 15.4 per cent.
Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat is expected to receive more than 150 port calls from various cruise liners during the 2016-2017 season, shipping agents in
Oman said.
The Ministry of Tourism also said the total number of visitors to castles and forts reached 284,000 in 2016, up by 14.3 per cent.
“The total number of visitors to Wadi Bani Khalid reached 156,000, up by 38.3 per cent, while the total number of visitors to the Khareef Salalah 2016 season reached 652,000, up by 26.8 percent,” it said on Thursday.
Travel agents said this is a good time to travel to Salalah as the airlines are offering “attractive fares.”
Oman’s first budget airline, SalamAir, is offering tickets to Salalah at OMR11 while the national carrier, Oman Air, is offering one way ticket to Salalah at OMR20.
When asked about the drop in prices, an Oman Air spokesperson said, “The Oman Air team responsible for pricing takes into consideration numerous factors when setting prices, including market patterns, competition and demand for a particular route.”
The southern region of Dhofar is famous for its seasonal weather with cool summers and draws tourists from all over the globe.
The Ministry of Tourism also said the green mountain of Oman, Jebel Al Akhdar, received 10,000 visitors in January, 2017, up 41.5 percent from January 2016. The total number of hotel establishments stood at 337 in 2016, up by 6 per cent.
