Oman has registered an increase of 100,000 visitors to the sultanate in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year.
The country received a total of 1.4 million people through May 2018, according the figures released by the National Centre for Statistics.
GCC nationals came out on top with 514,024, Indians came second with 149,251 followed by German nationals at 131,165, then UK visitors at 92,970 and Italians at 56,141.
The increase in tourist numbers is in line with the country’s efforts to boost the tourism industry for Oman’s National Strategy for Tourism 2040.
In the executive summary of Oman’s tourism strategy, Oman’s minister of tourism Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrizi said: “One of the most important objectives the Oman Tourism Strategy seeks to achieve is an increasing contribution of the sector to the national GDP, in conjunction with the sustainable development process currently taking place in other economic sectors. The Ministry of Tourism has recognised the key role tourism can play in enhancing the standard of living of Omanis across the country.
“Another important objective is to capitalise on the capabilities of the tourism sector to generate job creation and provide employment opportunities, in addition to substantial prospects for new Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs),” he added.
In terms of outbound tourists, 2.5 million Omanis travelled abroad in May, 2018.
| Advertisement |
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
