73% of total tourists visit the Sultanate from the GCC
May 3, 2015 – Oman Ministry of Tourism will aim to further reinforce the Sultanate’s significant tourism growth and attract more visitors from its neighboring GCC countries during its participation at Arabian Travel Market 2015, the latest edition of the leading international travel and tourism show in the Middle East, happening from May 4 to 7, 2015 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. This year, the Sultanate will showcase its popular holiday places and other much talked about family-focused activities in line with the show’s main theme of ‘Family Travel.’
Oman welcomed more than 840,000 tourists which is 73 per cent of the total number of tourists visiting Oman from the GCC alone in 2014, representing a 10 per cent increase over the previous year. Globally, the Sultanate witnessed a 7 per cent growth in the number of tourist arrivals from 2013, with over 1.47 million visitors. The government supports this influx by continuously modernizing its infrastructure as part of its economic diversification strategy.
H.E. Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary, Oman Ministry of Tourism, said: “We intend to strengthen and solidify our presence even more in the regional market through our participation in this very important event. During the four-day exhibition, we will feature the natural beauty and diversity of our country, our main tourist destinations, major tourism projects, and other activities designed to provide holiday makers with the most memorable experience. Our neighbors in the GCC have always been an important market for us as we continuously witness a steady increase in regional tourist arrivals year-on-year. We hope to attract more tourists regionally and globally in our bid to become one of the world’s top-of-mind destinations.”
Oman is renowned for its rugged coasts and beaches, scenic mountain peaks, dramatic coastlines, and ‘wadis’ (waterbeds), while its famous activities include desert camping, turtle-watching and water sports and diving. Prestigious and trusted global travel and news publications – such as Skift, the largest industry intelligence and marketing platform in travel, the UK’s The Telegraph, and The New York Times – cited the country as one of their top holiday destinations for 2015.
Aside from the region, an industry report also shows that Asia is Oman’s largest market for inbound travel. In its Oman Tourism Report Q2 2015, BMI says Asia has strong potential for future growth, with arrivals set to increase by 37.3 per cent between 2014 and 2018.