MUSCAT, OCT 8
The State Audit Institution (SAI) recently questioned the effectiveness of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism efforts in regards to tourism promotion. In a chapter titled , the “Performance Audit of Tourism Promotion Efficiency and Effectiveness”, SAI listed a list of the Ministry’s shortcomings.
To begin with, the report noted the difficulty in measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of 12 external representation offices in attracting tourists, which was disproportionate to the funds allocated to those offices.
According to the report, the budget allocated to those offices is valued at RO 5.6 million and made up for 33 per cent of the total actual expenditure of the tourism sector development and marketing project for the years 2017 to 2021.
As a result, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has agreed to implement clear performance indicators for the tourism representation offices. In addition to collaborating with some of the Sultanate’s Embassies to carry out marketing and promotion works.
Furthermore, the report questioned the viability of promotional activities and programmes carried out by the Ministry during the period from 2017-2021. According to SAI, despite spending RO 3.4 million during that period on promotional programmes and activities, the Ministry has failed to provide any clear evidence concerning the effectiveness of these various promotional activities in promoting the Sultanate of Oman.
As a result, the Ministry has collaborated with the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) to provide tools to measure the effectiveness of tourism promotion activities and programmes.
Moreover, the report indicated that from the period spanning from 2017 to 2021, the number of visitors to Oman did not exceed 4.7 per cent of the total number of visitors to the GCC States during 2017-2020.
Consequently, a team was formed to improve tourism indicators in collaboration with the National Centre for Statistics and Information. Additionally, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism will consider the use of tools to track visitors at tourist sites, and conduct surveys.
Lastly, the report noted that the Ministry failed to implement some recommendations outlined in The Oman Tourism Strategy regarding the development of the official website (Oman Experience), “despite its great significance”.
These include: the failure to list all the available tourism facilities, hotels, hotel apartments and tourist attractions on the website, the absence of a feature to link the locations in the trip system with various navigation applications, the lack of a calendar for events and activities that might attract tourists and the lack of a direct booking feature on the website.
As a result, the website is currently being updated, and a new website will be launched with the above recommendation as part of the digital transformation project according to the report. Additionally, a public tender will be floated for the preparation of the events and activities calendar.
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