Safe destination

“We now plan on increasing the number of clients coming to Oman, and I call on all parties to help advance this. Because of the downturn, tourists began to have different priorities, and they didn’t want things that were too expensive, so we need to look at that and adapt to it,” he said.

“The downturn was not good for tourism, the leisure facilities, and properties, but now that this is ending, I predict that tourism in Oman will grow and have a good future in the country. We must also keep in mind not to expand too rapidly, because we are always searching for investors and there is not always a guarantee that we will get them,” he said.

Peter Walichnowski, CEO of Omran, also shed light on the Sultanate’s commitment to sustainable tourism.

“The role of Omran has been to bring in investors who will also focus on sustainable tourism. We have about five million tourists coming every year, and we would not have been able to secure investors so quickly if we didn’t have this number,” he pointed out. “Oman’s reputation as a safe, secure nation has also been of importance to both tourists and investors alike, because all tourists consider the safety of a place they are going to visit, as that is important to them.

“This plan was part of our commitment to not just improve the tourism offerings that Oman has, not just to increase the number of international tourists, but to also provide more facilities for local tourists within Oman,” he added.

With tourism earmarked as one of the key areas for growth, as a part of the Sultanate’s Tanfeedh plans for economic diversification, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism has also done much to raise the country’s tourism profile.

“From the very beginning, Omran, Muriya, and Orascom have opened the doors to developing tourism in Oman,” remarked Rawas Al Rawas, assistant general manager for Tourism Development Investor Services at the ministry. “They have encouraged many local and foreign investors to invest in Oman. Encouraging these large companies to invest requires people to support them here, and this leads to both indirect and direct job creation, as well as more diversified opportunities for Omani youth,” he added.