Friday 15 / November / 2024
Muscat: Oman’s tourism and hospitality industry is gaining momentum with total investment in the sector set to hit $1.17 billion by 2026, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
According to the WTTC, Oman witnessed a yearly increase of 15 per cent in visitor numbers, reaching 2.5 million during the first 10 months of 2016.
It is no wonder that Oman is so popular, and was recently named as one of the top ten places to visit in 2017 by a selection of the world’s leading media, said Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
“The country boasts of a fantastic mix of culture, history and adventure for travellers, while the $120 million Majarat Oman futuristic theme park, set to open in 2017, will add to the huge selection of options available for families,” the official added.
The Sultanate will also attend the ATM between April 24 and 27 this year to showcase its expanding hotel and tourism infrastructure pipeline.
The Reed Travel Exhibitions team was recently in Muscat to meet with key industry players from across Oman and discuss exhibitor opportunities for ATM 2017, with the total contribution of travel and tourism in the country set to rise to $785 million by 2026, according to the WTTC.
A report from Colliers International stated that although the country faces significant competition from other popular regional destinations, Oman has been able to distinguish itself as a unique tourism destination, being home to many ecological, cultural and heritage attractions.
“With the recent opening of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is expected to host around 28 exhibition events in 2017, the market is expected to see a slight recovery, with the hotel occupancy predicted to close at 58 per cent,” Colliers International report added.
To cope with the projected increase in demand, hotel supply in Oman increased by 2,022 keys in 2016, and although occupancy rates were down 11 per cent over that period, largely due to lower oil prices that subdued business travel, as well as the effect that weaker currencies had on the UK and EU leisure markets, this is expected to recover by 3 per cent through 2017.
According to the latest data from STR, formerly known as Smith Travel Research, Oman currently has 15,843 hotels, with another 6,347 rooms in the pipeline, representing a growth of 40.1 per cent.
The number of passengers arriving at Oman’s airports also increased. Airport arrivals had risen by 17 per cent by the end of 2016. The new terminal at the Muscat International Airport, which is expected to open this year, will have a capacity of 12 million passengers per year.
Salalah International Airport (SAIA) currently has a capacity of one million travellers annually, with the ability to increase this further by up to six million. Six other airports are also either in planning or construction phases, including the new airport at Ras Al Hadd.
“Oman’s tourism industry continues to grow and its offerings keep expanding to cater to the diverse needs of today’s travellers. Experiential tourism is the spotlight theme of ATM 2017, and this is central to the whole tourism experience in Oman,” the WTTC official added.
The Oman-based exhibitors that are already committed to participating at this year’s ATM include Six Senses Zighy Bay Resort and Spa, Al Bustan Palace Ritz Carlton, Anantara Jabal Akhdar Resort, Kempinski Hotel Muscat, Shangri-la Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa, and Intercontinental Muscat.
ATM, considered by many industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, witnessed a yearly increase in visitor attendance of 9 per cent to over 28,500 in 2016, with 2,785 exhibiting companies signing business deals worth more than $2.5 billion over four days.
ATM 2017 will build on its success with the announcement of an additional hall, as Reed Travel Exhibitions looks to add to its record-breaking achievements in 2016.
