Oman sets out new 20-year tourism plan

Oman has unveiled a 20-year strategy to double visitor numbers to five million per year by 2040.

The strategy hinges on developing the tourist spots of Musandam, the Hajar Mountains, the Frankincense Trail in Salalah, the city of Muscat and the surrounding deserts and making them “destinations in their own right”, the Oman Ministry of Tourism said during the ATM travel conference in Dubai on Monday.

The development of these clusters would help Oman to attract visitors from one of the world’s fastest growing tourism segments, adventure tourism, it added.

The sultanate wants to grow the contribution of travel and tourism to more than six percent of annual GDP – it is currently estimated to account for around 2.5 percent.

It plans to employ more than 500,000 people in the sector by 2040, 75 percent of which are to be Omani nationals in line with the sultanate’s Omanisation policy.

Salim Al Mamari, director-general of tourism promotion at Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, said: “The announcement of the 2040 tourism strategy for Oman provides us with a clearly defined and structured road map for future growth ensuring tourism becomes one of the most important economic pillars for the country’s future.”

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