Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Omani nationals’ preferred holiday destinations

Haider-al-Lawati
Haider-al-Lawati
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There is some curiosity in knowing the tourist destinations preferred by Omanis, especially during the holiday season, such as the recent National Day holiday.


The interest stems from the priority accorded to the tourism sector besides enhancing the services and developing its components to promote domestic tourism.


It also raises awareness among the Omani people to choose the right place for holidays either for short trips or for the long summer.


A resident of Muscat had posted a short questionnaire on social media on tourism during the recent National Day holidays.


The questionnaire, accessible to 165 colleagues, reflected the trends during holidays. It received 110 responses, or 66.6 per cent of total number of sent messages.


While 50 people (45.5 per cent) confirmed having spent their holiday in Muscat, 14 (13 per cent) said they would spend their holiday in the United Arab Emirates, while four (3.6 per cent) preferred the GCC.


Thirty-three people (30 per cent) said they would spend their holiday in various governorates of the Sultanate. The number of those spending holidays abroad — either for tourism or business — was 13 (12 per cent).


The questionnaire revealed some significant information: more than 75 per cent of respondents spent the last National Day holidays in Muscat or other governorates, while 25 per cent travelled abroad, mostly to the UAE, due to its proximity and strong relations between the two countries, along with diverse recreational, commercial and business facilities.


At the domestic level, a lot can be done to develop the tourism sector in the Sultanate and attract domestic tourism in the coming years.


Some studies have been conducted in this regard, while the ‘Tanfeedh’ programme held recently revealed many challenges facing the tourism sector, including complex and lengthy procedures for submitting applications/ obtaining approvals, lack of innovative tourist services, products and activities, and inadequate spending on marketing, which hinder growth of the sector.


The programme revealed the tourism sector suffers from overlapping procedures followed by various government organisations for issuing basic permits and approvals. There are also some difficulties in achieving the targeted growth rates in the sector.


Statistics from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) in Dubai show the number of Omani visitors to Dubai since the beginning of 2018 up to the end of August reached 542,000, at a rate of 68,000 visitors a month.


DTCM said the Omani market ranks high in terms of “exporting” tourists to Dubai.


A group of tourism experts in Dubai spoke about the recent holiday, noting this emirate was the first choice for Omanis during the National Day holidays. Omani families flocked to Dubai by air or land during the holidays.


There have also been reports of those travelling by land spending hours on the border to enter and exit the UAE.


Meanwhile, these groups have contributed to increase in occupancy rates, especially since the region has witnessed a decline in tourism.


According to Dubai media reports, Omani tourists come in large numbers, which means more spending in hotels, shopping malls and restaurants, noting that the UAE was always among the top tourist destinations for Omani families during both short holidays and weekends.


haiderdawood@hotmail.com


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