Oman is looking to invest $35 billion in the next 25 years as part of its tourism vision to increase the sultanate’s global appeal with exciting initiatives which will be showcased at the 2016 Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
Oman continues to work on leveraging its international profile, which saw inbound tourism numbers rise by an average of 7.4 per cent per annum in the decade 2005-14 and 1.4 million international tourism arrivals targeted by 2019, up from 1.1 million in 2015.Exhibitors from the Sultanate attending ATM 2016 include the Oman Ministry of Tourism, which has forecasted hotel room capacity to expand at an annual growth rate of 5.3 per cent over the next three to four years, and contribute 10 per cent of GDP by 2020.'Oman’s Tourism Strategy for 2015 through to 2040 has an investment value of $35 billion and the country is working hard to increase its global appeal with exciting initiatives such as the launch of an e-visa system by Royal Oman Police in February last year,' said Nadege Noblet-Segers, exhibition manager, Arabian Travel Market.'It has also been a destination on several travel hotlists, and was ranked in 20th spot on the New York Times list of one of the 52 places to visit in 2015 as well as gaining kudos from popular travel site, Skift, which last year named it as the number one spot in the region, saying that it ‘packs a lot [into] a small package’,' she added.It is also seventh out of the 100 places most favoured by Muslim tourists, according to the Global Muslim Travel Index.Recent figures from the Oman Airports Management Company for both Muscat and Salalah airports show an 18 per cent rise in passenger numbers through the capital’s gateway in 2015, surpassing the 10 million passenger mark for the first time in its operational history, while Salalah Airport also saw a rise in traffic by 22 per cent to reach more than one million passengers.Accessibility is a key focus with Oman Air, for example, launching a new route to Dhaka and enhanced capacity to Frankfurt, Colombo, Tehran and Dammam.'These figures are indicative of the growing appeal of Oman to a diverse international audience and the country is expanding its tourism offering to cater to all segments including mid-market, which is something that we are focusing on this year as our spotlight theme,' said Noblet-Segers.'This is responding not only to the needs of the more budget-conscious traveller, but also for those whom quality and experience-led travel doesn’t necessarily have to mean a five-star price tag,' she added.