12.3pc rise in hotel guests

MUSCAT: The number of guests in star hotels rated 3-5 recorded an increase of 12.3 per cent during the first two months of 2017, reaching 265,877 guests compared with 235,967 guests during the same period last year, according to the latest statistical bulletin from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). Revenues on the other hand increased by 8.1 per cent to RO 37.36 million, as against RO 34.29 million last year while occupancy declined by 0.6 per cent to 64.1 per cent. The number of Omani guests in star hotels increased 7.9 per cent to 69,312 while GCC guests went up 34.8 per cent to 22,318. Other Arab guests increased 30.7 per cent to 12,584.

African guests showed a marginal 1.7 per cent increase at 1,372 while the number of Asian guests went up by 2.4 per cent to 24,803. A rise of 15.3 per cent was recorded in the number of guests from Europe, which reached 118,659 while a fall of 8.1 per cent was witnessed in the number of American guests during the period at 9,516. The number of Oceanian guests too fell by 18.9 per cent to 2,188. — ONA