International arrivals at airports up 45.6%

The number of international passengers arriving at Oman’s airports increased 45.6% to 6,125,871 in 2023 compared to 4,206,250 in 2022.

According to National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) data, international passengers arriving at Muscat International Airport increased to 5,796,304 last year from 3,947,692 in 2022, while those arriving at Salalah rose to 316,190 from 220,826. In Suhar, the number came down to 13,377 from 37,732 in 2022.

NCSI figures indicate that the total number of passengers - arrivals, departures and transit – also went up substantially by 43.6% to 14,184,379 in 2023 from 9,876,762 in 2022.

Oman was among the top 20 best performing destinations in the world for tourist arrivals between January and July 2023, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The sultanate ranked 18th in the world (% change vs 2019) for the first seven months of 2023. Oman’s percentage jump was 14% for this period.

According to the first World Tourism Barometer of 2024 by UNWTO, international tourism ended 2023 at 88% of pre- pandemic levels, with an estimated 1.3bn international arrivals.

‘The unleashing of remaining pent-up demand, increased air connectivity and a stronger recovery of Asian markets and destinations are expected to underpin a full recovery by the end of 2024,’ it stated. Middle East led the recovery in relative terms as the only region to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2023 with arrivals 22% above 2019.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-general of UNWTO, said, “Our latest data underscores tourism's resilience and rapid recovery, with pre-pandemic numbers expected by the end of 2024. The rebound is already having a significant impact on economies, jobs, growth and opportunities for communities everywhere. These numbers also recall the critical task of progressing sustainability and inclusion in tourism development."

Meanwhile, with the aim of developing the aviation sector, Oman Airports hosted the Airports Innovate Conference and Exhibition in November 2023.

The conference was attended by more than 400 local and international figures, over 30 sponsors and exhibitors, and 60 speakers from leading global airports, aviation technology developers, airlines, civil aviation authorities, industry suppliers and air transport experts.

Muscat airport ranked as the world’s topmost travel hub for the year 2023 in a report issued by Airhelp company based on on-time performance standards.