MUSCAT: The number of visitors to Khareef Salalah until the end of 11th week registered a 240-per cent increase compared to same period last year. The total number of visitors from June 21 to September 5 reached 630,040, compared to 616,117 visitors during the same period of 2016, according to the data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
Of the total number of visitors, Omanis formed 71.8 per cent at the end of the eleventh week of Khareef Salalah. 89.9 per cent of the total number of visitors were from the GCC nations including Omanis. Of the total number of visitors during eleventh week, 53 per cent were residents of Oman compared to 49.5 per cent last year.
There were 566,143 visitors from GCC until the end of the eleventh week, registering a 1.5-per cent growth, compared to 557,769 visitors until the end of eleventh week of 2016.
The number of Asians showed a 3.3-per cent increase to 42,331 visitors until the end of eleventh week this year, compared to the 40,987 visitors during the same period of 2016, the data showed.
The number of visitors from other Arab nations showed a 13.8-per cent growth to 15,581, compared to 13,692 visitors during the same period of 2016.
European visitors until the end of eleventh week of 2017 touched 3,802 visitors from 2,330 visitors during the same period last year. Visitors from other nations reached 2,183 visitors from 1,339 visitors in 2016.
Of the total number of visitors during eleventh week, 62.4 per cent arrived by land.
There was a 24.8-per cent growth in visitors who arrived by air at 156,620, compared to 125,492 visitors until the end of eleventh week of 2016. Of this, 114,813 visitors arrived by domestic flights, compared to 80,625 visitors last year, a growth of 42.4 per cent.
Visitors who arrived by international flights declined by 6.8 per cent from 44,867 visitors until the end of eleventh week of 2016 to 41,807 visitors during the same period this year.
A total of 473,420 visitors arrived by land route during the period, compared to 490,625 visitors last year registering a 3.5-per cent decline, the data showed.
Compared to the tenth week of 2017, when the total number of visitors was 21,135, there was a 57.8-per cent growth in the number of visitors during the eleventh week of 2017 to 33,344.
The total number of visitors during the eleventh week of 2016 was only 9,808, the data showed. — ONA
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