Oman to add 2000 hotel rooms in 2013

Oman expects to add more than 2000 hotel rooms to its existing stock in 2013 as the country gears up its tourism offer, according to the Sultanate's tourism ministry.

The majority of the new rooms will be based around the country's capital, Muscat, where 720 rooms are to be added.

These include the $80m, five-star Azaiba Hotel which is expected to be operational by mid-2013.

Meanwhile, government-owned tourism development firm Omran recently announced that it had passed the 60% construction mark at the Alila Jabal Akhdar hilltop resort, which is set to open in December 2013. The 110-room Khasab hotel in Musanadam is also due to open by the end of the year.

Looking further ahead, the ministry pointed to the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre as a key future project, which is "set to become an iconic landmark" in Muscat. The centre will contain 22,000m2 of exhibition space and a tiered auditorium for up to 3200 people once complete in 2015.

The convention centre complex will also contain a Crowne Plaza hotel and will be built overlooking a wadi.