Oman tourism growth puts service in focus

MUSCAT, OCT 4
Oman’s expanding tourism industry is putting greater pressure on operators to improve service standards as the country seeks to translate billions of rials in investment and rising visitor numbers into greater economic value.
More than 50 tourism professionals, including employees, freelancers and suppliers, took part in a specialised training programme organised by Arabia Orient Tours in Muscat as operators prepare for the 2026–27 winter tourism season.
The programme focused on an increasingly important part of Oman’s tourism offering: the visitor experience after arrival.
Participants received training in trip planning, destination knowledge, professional hosting and handling operational problems involving hotels, transport and itinerary changes.
The session was presented by Natalie Askar, a tourism professional whose experience spans tour guiding, tourism operations and the German travel market.
The programme is small compared with the scale of Oman’s tourism industry, but it illustrates a wider challenge as investment expands the country’s capacity to receive international visitors.
Oman recorded 3.966 million inbound visitors in 2025, including 2.714 million overnight tourists, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
Inbound tourism expenditure exceeded RO 1.01 billion, while overnight visitors accounted for 17.7 million nights during the year.
Direct tourism GDP reached RO 1.135 billion in 2025, representing 2.7 per cent of the economy.
At the same time, investment has continued to expand tourism facilities and attractions.
The Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit recorded 584 investment projects in the heritage and tourism sectors between 2021 and 2024, with investments totalling RO 2.59 billion.
The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has set a longer-term target of attracting 12 million visitors annually by 2040.
That expansion is shifting attention towards the workforce and businesses responsible for connecting hotels, attractions and transport to provide a consistent visitor experience.
For tour operators, the challenge is particularly acute.
An international visitor may encounter several businesses during the same journey — an airport transfer company, hotel, guide, restaurant, attraction and tour operator — but shortcomings in any one service can influence the traveller’s perception of the destination as a whole.
This makes consistency across the tourism supply chain commercially important as Oman seeks to attract visitors looking for cultural, nature-based and higher-value experiences.
The Muscat training programme placed particular emphasis on handling problems, alongside providing information about destinations.
Participants examined how to respond to traveller feedback involving accommodation and transport, manage unexpected itinerary changes and improve planning from arrival through to departure.
Another focus was destination knowledge, with tourism professionals encouraged to move beyond basic information and communicate Oman’s history, culture and living heritage more effectively.
Sanjay Bhattacharjee, founder of Arabia Orient Tours, said in a written statement that investing in tourism professionals was also an investment in the country.
“By investing in our team and our partners, we are not just enhancing a business — we are investing in Oman,” he said.
The company, which says it has operated in Oman for 16 years, plans to assess participating professionals during the 2026–27 tourism season and recognise its strongest performers at the end of the period.
It has not disclosed the assessment criteria.
The planned follow-up would connect professional development with performance during the operating season.
Oman’s tourism strategy has delivered substantial investment in accommodation, destinations and other physical assets.
As that expansion continues, the sector faces a further test: whether the quality and consistency of services connecting those assets can develop at the same pace.
For visitors arriving in Oman this winter, much of that experience will depend on the people they meet along the way.