Muscat: The Council of Ministers on Tuesday stressed promoting tourism activities in various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman, which will help attract tourists to the country throughout the year.
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik on Tuesday presided over a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al Barakah Palace and took note of an uptake in performance that promises the realization of goals, visions, and aspirations in tune with developments.
His Majesty the Sultan commended the efforts made by government institutions in their effort to perform the tasks entrusted to them, notably the units that received ‘high’ and ‘excellent’ performance evaluations.
To further utilize the diversity of the governorates of Oman and its natural attractions and historical and cultural heritage, the Council of Ministers stressed the importance of governors’ focusing on tourist sites in their respective governorates and developing appropriate plans to host tourism activities and events that attract visitors to such sites throughout the year.
To enhance the contribution of the tourism sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generate local added value, and provide employment opportunities for citizens, His Majesty the Sultan gave directives to set a timeframe for developing the 'Al Jabal Al Abyad' area and 'Wakan' village.
This includes providing the necessary infrastructure and appropriate conditions for the development of the two areas due to their unique capabilities and their tourist attractions that qualify them to be major destinations for trips, camping, and adventure tourism.
The Sultanate of Oman witnessed an increase of over 40 percent from January to October 2023 compared to the same period last year, as the number of visitors coming to the Sultanate of Oman reached 3.199 million.
The number of 3-5 star hotel guests reached 1.650 million, during the period, an increase of 28.9 percent compared to the same period in 2022, generating RO178.328 million in total revenues, an increase of 27.8 percent from 2022.
Most of the guests visiting the country are from the GCC (37.4), Asia (26.8), and Europe, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).
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