New hotels to add 5,000-plus rooms over 2017-18

As many as 81 new hotel properties offering 5,279 rooms are due to be opened across the Sultanate over the 2017-2018 timeframe, based on approvals granted by the Ministry of Tourism. This is in addition to 364 hotels currently in service, offering 19,832 hotel rooms, the ministry said.

The ministry’s efforts to promote Oman as an ideal tourism destination world-over are evident from the increase in tourist traffic into the Sultanate. As of September 30, 2017, an estimated 2.4 million tourists travelled to the Sultanate, compared with 3.151 million visitors over the 12 months of 2016.

The tourism sector in Oman is one of the vital pillars of economic sustainability. The Omani government, under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan, has focused the development of the tourism industry by harnessing its unique attributes in the form of its geological diversity, high mountains, vast deserts, beautiful beaches, wadis as well as rich cultural heritage and glorious history.

Oman is home to some of the world’s greatest monuments that are testimony to the authentic Arabian culture and the friendly nature of Omanis.

To help attract investment into the sector, the ministry has introduced an electronic system for processing all applications effectively and expeditiously. The new approach ensures faster issuance of tourism approvals, and also informs the applicant through email or text messages about the status of their application.

The Ministry of Tourism has also launched a campaign inviting proposals from the public and