OMAN is reaping the benefits from tourism that justifies the strong focus given to this sector of the Sultanate’s economy, which has come a long way over the past decade and has proven to be an important new source of revenue; in keeping with the government’s aim of diversification away from overdependence on income generated from finite fossil fuels.

Today, tourism has already met and surpassed the GDP quota assigned to it, as outlined in the Oman Economic 2020 strategy. This has come about thanks to the strong marketing efforts played by the public authorities concerned and private sector companies who had taken up the government’s call to venture into tourism. It has proven to be effective and profitable, even being able to withstand the period of global recession.

Although a relatively recent development here, this burgeoning sector has nonetheless achieved several milestones, one of which, the upcoming Asian Beach Games — scheduled to take place in December 2010 at a specially built Sports City in Musanaa (about an hour’s drive from Muscat), on a 1-million square metre site that is to be completed by November 2010 and is to accommodate around 5,000 athletes and officials from 45 Asian countries — is set to bring Oman global attention.

Besides the undoubted impact tourism is making towards the economy, it has and will allow for numerous employment opportunities. It has given a new impetus that emphasises the national tourism slogan, Tourism Enriches. With the phenomenal infrastructural development that has taken place here over the last few decades and with the government-backed support and initiatives for this fledgling sector, which resulted in the setting up of a dedicated Ministry of Tourism in 2004 headed by Dr Rajha bint Abdulameer bin Ali, Minister of Tourism, tourism development is setting an even faster pace, attracting local and international, public and private investors.

To keep up with the demand and the pace of tourism development, a number of tourism-based projects have already been completed. Others are well under way and some are in the pipeline, at their initial stages. In this regard, the Sultanate has managed to attract much interest from realty developers and internationally acclaimed firms from the hospitality sector.

In preparation and helping to cope with this tourism-cum-hospitality generated influx, numerous trainees are currently studying at locally-based hospitality institutes and colleges — with subject fields ranging from hotel management, catering and travel, tourism and hospitality trade, among others. Many have already completed their courses. They have since taken up positions at various hotels, event management companies, restaurants, travel and tourism establishments and in other hospitality-based ventures, as well as those who have been ambitious enough to set up shop for themselves.

With newly opened resort hotels, such as the Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay resort in Musandam and the Crowne Plaza in Sohar; new upcoming hotels, such as the Kempinski in The Wave beachfront development zone, the Royal Tulip Resort & Spa, Mirbat and Marriott managed resort, in the Dhofar region and a number of ambitious and expansive residential-cum-tourism development projects — including The Wave, Al Madinat A’Zarqa (with hotels, residential units, golf courses, marinas, shopping malls, souqs and parks), the Yiti Resort and several other integrated tourism projects — together with established luxury hotels and resorts — tourism generated demand, along with associated employment opportunities, is being well catered for.

Two very popular, annually held festivals, the Muscat Festival — that takes place in the cooler months of January/February in the north and the Salalah Tourism Festival in the south, which takes advantage of the cool temperatures, gentle breezes and drizzling rain brought about by the annually occurring Khareef season, in July-August — attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, mainly domestic and those from GCC states, as well as from other Middle Eastern countries and internationally. They have helped to showcase the Sultanate, allowing visitors a glimpse of its traditions and cultural heritage, brought in world-class entertainment and a wide array of exciting activities and exhibitions.

The government-owned Oman Tourist Development Company (Omran) SAOC, which functions under the guidelines of the Ministry of Tourism, is responsible for some of the integrated tourism projects. Various developers are currently working on 41 project developments that have been targeted in the ‘7th Five-Year Plan for Tourism Projects 2006-2010’. Of these projects, 18 are located in and around the capital area, 8 in the Batinah (coastal) region, 1 at Jabal al Akhdhar in the Al Dakhiliyah (interior) region, 2 in the Al Sharqiyah (eastern) region, 2 in the Al Wusta (central) region, 5 in the Musandam (northern) region — in Khasab and Diba — and 5 in the Dhofar (southern) region.

Visitors to the Sultanate have been steadily increasing and even with the global economic slowdown, the total number of passengers through Muscat International Airport has increased by 5 per cent to 1,355,690 passengers from 1,288,612 passengers during the first four months of 2009 compared to 2008. The number of arriving passengers excluding transfers has increased by 4 per cent to 555,410 passengers during the first four months of 2009 from 533,240 passengers for the same period last year. The number of departing passengers excluding transfers has increased by 9.5 per cent to 519,787 passengers during the first four months of 2009 from 474,900 passengers for the same period last year.

The number of civil aircraft movements at Muscat International Airport has increased by 10 per cent to 16,263 aircraft movements for the first four months of 2009 from 14,786 aircraft movements for the same period last year. Salalah Airport also witnessed an increase in passenger numbers by 2 per cent as the traffic increased to 129,155 passengers for the first four months of 2009 from 127,291 passengers during the same period last year.

The keen interest shown in tourism in Oman is in a large part thanks to the country’s veritable wealth of unique and wondrously scenic sites, such as famed historical forts and castles, ecological and ornithological delights situated in pristine environments, amazing seaside views with an abundant array of aquatic sea-creatures, canyons, valleys, caves, barren desert wilderness dotted with beautiful oases and, of course, magnificent mountains — Oman’s ever-present silent sentinels.

These resplendent, naturally occurring habitats are a haven for bird and wildlife, replete with an ecological biodiversity that is truly unique. All of this, coupled with a coastal shoreline of 1,700 kilometres strewn with beautiful, pristine beaches and adjoining seas harbouring a wide variety of marine life and exquisite coral formations, has helped maintain the Sultanate’s tourism drive and allowed it to remain in full swing.

Oman Tourism Highlights

• 175 top French tour operators arrive for Muscat Convention — French transit traffic into Oman set to double in 2010
• Oman Air launches direct flights to Paris, France; Frankfurt and Munich, Germany and Maldives
• OCCI (Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry) and Federation of Gulf Chambers of Commerce organise a Muscat hosted Gulf Tourism and Property Investment Forum
• Beginning in March, 2009, there have been increased flights to Muscat International Airport by Oman Air, Air India Express, Gulf Air, KLM, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways.
• As part of its expansion plans, Muscat International Airport inaugurated its new RO 15 million terminal extension earlier this year
• Sultanate took part in international exhibitions in Moscow, France, Japan and USA, helping to draw attention to Oman’s attractions, major tourism landmarks and investment projects
• Thirty Omani companies took part in the WTM Travel and Tourism Exhibition held in London, UK — Oman won the ‘Best Middle East Tourist Establishment Prize’ at the exhibition
• Ministry of Tourism organised workshops for the promotion of Oman as a choice tourist destination. The campaign included a road show that toured Manama, Riyadh, Kuwait, Doha and Dubai
• Sultanate represented at the Arab Travel Market
• Martin Air tourist delegation welcomed to the Sultanate on inaugural flight to Muscat International Airport from Belgium. Delegation taken on a country tour
• In co-ordination with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), the Ministry of Tourism organises regional 3-day workshop on ‘risk and crisis management in the tourism sector.