Muscat, Nov 13 - The Sultanate will see a six per cent growth in the number of Indian tourists in the next five years, according to data published by Colliers International. Colliers International is a Canada-based global company operating in the hospitality, entertainment and health spas sector.
Kuwait and Bahrain too will see a six per cent rise between 2018 and 2022, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE will register a seven per cent growth, says the report.
The number of Indian visitors travelling to the GCC, including Oman, in the next five years, will create an additional 10.8 million room nights. The latest research predicts around nine million Indians will travel to the GCC by 2022 – 37 per cent of India’s total outbound market — with business, place of work and leisure underpinning this demand.
Indians visiting Oman can now apply for a 10-day tourist visa for RO 5. The visa can be applied for by those holding a valid visa to the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan and Schengen countries.
The new visa can be applied for at www.evisa.rop.gov.om. Aviation authorities told Observer they want the weekly seats between India and Oman to be around 60,000 from the current 27,000 to add more destinations and flights between the two countries.
“GCC has benefited from this trend with Indian travellers’ willingness and ability to spend on outbound travel supported by the country’s pace-setting seven per cent GDP growth and a new generation of leisure attractions in the GCC as well as increased business opportunities and relaxed visa regulations for Indian nationals,” they said.
Indian outbound tourists will account for 22.5 million worldwide tourists in 2018, with reports from UNWTO estimating the figure will increase by 122 per cent to reach 50 million by 2022.
Indian tourists are among the world’s highest spenders per visit made abroad, with visitor spend expected to rise from $23 billion in 2018 to $45 billion by 2022.
The report quoted Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, “Despite weak rupee exchange rates, which have seen the rupee lose 14 per cent of its value against the US dollar over the last 12 months, the Indian outbound market has continued to grow at an average annual growth rate of 10-12 per cent over the last seven years.”
Vinod Nair
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