OMAN HOTEL BOOST
OMAN Tourism has welcomed the Ministry of Tourism’s decision to ramp up its hotel offering as ever-increasing demand poses questions over supply. The Oman Ministry of Tourism has approved the development of 54 hotel facilities which will add more than 2900 rooms to the Sultanate. Complementing the existing 282 facilities, most hotels will be one and two-star properties, with 14 to be located in the capital of Muscat. Speaking with travelbulletin, Oman tourism manager Australia & New Zealand Mona Tannous described hotel supply as a “challenge” for Oman’s tourism sector, noting that visitor numbers have seen “steady and controlled” growth in recent years. But she remained unconcerned about the longer term effects, noting that developments in the pipeline would curb supply issues. “Hotel rooms have been a challenge [but] that’s understandable as development of tourism in Oman only really commenced in the last 20 years,” she said. Hotel supply has been a key focus for the Oman Ministry of Tourism as visitor numbers continue to gain momentum. Visitor numbers grew 7.8% to 2.1 million last year, while the number of hotel rooms increased 12% to 22,521 rooms. Australians made a strong contribution to the growth, with visitor numbers up 71% since 2011 and 15% this year alone. Three five-star properties have opened their doors in Oman this year, including Salalah Rotana Beach Resort, Alila Jabal Akhdar and Hormuz Grand, but the government has now turned its focus to the more affordable properties. As Tannous explained, the move is a much needed change: “There has been a greater need to accommodate the mid range visitor to the Sultanate rather than focusing on the high end luxury market,” she said. “While new luxury hotels are needed, the need to cater for the changing style of traveller has become more apparent and a wider focus has been given to the 2-3 star hotel options.” The government is aware of the trend and has its sights on ambitious tourism targets as it looks to boost visitor numbers and reduce its reliance on oil revenues. Oil dominates Oman’s GDP with 72% of the government’s revenue compared to just 6.4% for tourism. But that figure is expected to reach 8.2% by 2024 if the government achieves its target of 12 million visitors by 2020 – a 10 million increase in just six years. The Oman government has committed $14.7 million to tourism-related projects from 2011-2015 and has invested in a new passenger terminal at the Muscat International Airport. Construction is also underway for a new convention centre and more hotels are yet to come.