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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Hotels in Oman see 14pc rise in guests

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Staff Reporter


Muscat, July 3


After having received a record number of guests in the Sultanate in the previous year, the hospitality sector is continuing with the growth momentum.


As per the latest data, the number of guests in the first four months of the current year witnessed a commendable 13.8 per cent growth compared with the corresponding period last year.


The total revenues from the three and four-star hotels in the country recorded a growth rate of 5.3 per cent to reach RO 77.97 million until the end of April this year as against RO 73.19 million in the same period last year, according to data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The occupancy rate increased by 1.7 per cent to 65.3 per cent compared with 64.2 per cent in the same period of 2016.


According to a recent statement from the Ministry of Tourism, the number of hotel establishments in the Sultanate reached 352 by June 1 this year. By the end of 2016, the number had stood at 339, registering a 6.6-per cent increase compared with 2015.


While 13 new hotel facilities have started operating in the very first five months of the current year, the number is expected to increase to 81 during 2017-2018.


The data shows the total number of guests reached 585,192.


While Europeans accounted for a massive share of 39.8 per cent (280,323), the number of Omani guests saw a 12 per cent fall to stand at 140,279.


The number of Asian and Middle-East visitors stood at 52,059 and 51,511 respectively.


According to reports, more than three million tourists visited Oman in 2016, which is 16.2 per cent more than the previous year.


Data indicates that the total number of rooms in hotels, resorts, hotel apartments, tourist camps, rest houses, guest houses, heritage hotels and green hotels stood at 18,825 at the end of 2016.


It is estimated that by 2020, the number of hotel rooms in the country will be more than 20,000, giving a major boost to its ambitious tourism growth strategy that hopes to attract five million visitors a year by 2040 – more than double the current annual figure.


— Samuel Kutty


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