Dhofar opens licensing route for green tourism

SALALAH: Dhofar has a licensing framework for green tourism, including agricultural tourism, while proposals to integrate the governorate’s diverse tourism experiences and extend them more widely could also be considered, according to the Director-General of Heritage and Tourism in Dhofar Governorate.
Speaking to Radio Sultanate of Oman (Oman Radio), Talal bin Humaid al Khusaibi said agricultural tourism could be licensed under the green-tourism category in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
“When we speak about agricultural tourism, we also have a licence under the green tourism category, in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources,” he said. His remarks were translated from Arabic.
Al Khusaibi placed green tourism within a broader range of tourism experiences already available in Dhofar, including eco-camping, mountain, marine and leisure tourism. He said proposals to combine these experiences into integrated tourism offerings and extend them more widely could be studied.
The remarks confirm the availability of a licensing route for green tourism but do not indicate the launch of a new green-lodge programme, an expansion target or a specific pipeline of projects.

A breakdown published by Wejhatt on May 31, 2026, and attributed to the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, listed two green lodges among 121 licensed accommodation establishments in Dhofar. The inventory comprised 39 hotels, 60 hotel apartments, three rest houses, 15 guest houses, one tourist camp and one heritage lodge, with a total of 8,390 rooms and 12,601 beds.
The two green lodges accounted for about 1.7 per cent of the establishments in the breakdown. A corresponding category-level table was not available on the public pages of the ministry or the National Centre for Statistics and Information reviewed by the Oman Observer, so the figure remains attributed to Wejhatt.
The regulatory framework supports Al Khusaibi’s remarks. The executive regulation issued in April 2026 provides for green lodges on land designated for agricultural use, while the ministry’s licensing checklist requires approval from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
Al Khusaibi also said media and influencer visits to Dhofar would continue. He said participants were selected following assessment rather than at random, and that the impact of such campaigns had been measured. The interview did not disclose campaign costs or the indicators used to assess their effectiveness.

On visitor safety, he said the ministry provides guidance and works with specialist agencies, including the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority. Some locations are difficult to access and require specialist tour guides, while visitors to others need appropriate clothing and equipment, he said.
Al Khusaibi said tourism development in Dhofar is carried out through an integrated system involving various government entities. The programme’s presenter also relayed questions from listeners about how small and medium enterprises and local communities benefit from tourism activity.
The 2026 regulation requires licensed tourism establishments to submit data on guest numbers, revenue, employment, room nights, rates and occupancy. However, public releases reviewed by Observer do not provide separate figures for these indicators for Dhofar’s green lodges.
The interview therefore points to a policy direction centred on a broader tourism mix, coordinated licensing, targeted promotion and stronger safety messaging.
However, key indicators remain unclear, including the number of green-lodge projects in the pipeline and the jobs, local contracts and year-round visitor demand generated by the two listed properties.