Business | Tourism

Oman hotels 'have 1o years of growth'

Demand for hotel rooms in Oman is increasing by almost 20 per cent annually thanks to the country's rapidly developing tourism industry, a senior hotelier said on Tuesday

  • By Sunil K. Vaidya, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:41 February 5, 2008
  • Gulf News

Muscat: Demand for hotel rooms in Oman is increasing by almost 20 per cent annually thanks to the country's rapidly developing tourism industry, a senior hotelier said on Tuesday.

"Supply still falls short, and new hotel projects will keep coming up for at least the next 10 years," D. Shekar, general manager of group operations and hotel projects at Safeer Tourism and Hotel Company, told Gulf News on the sidelines of the opening of the Safeer Ballroom in Muscat, which will hold weddings, seminars, conferences and exhibitions.

"Government backing for the tourism industry has sent demand for rooms to an all-time high and keeps increasing, and new hotels will keep coming up for the next 10 years then may slow down," Shekar said.

"We have grown four fold in the last four years and we will continue to expand," said the chief of the rapidly growing and larg-est hotel chain in Oman.

He said that they were concentrating on developing properties in the Al Khuwair area for many reasons.

"Like Deira for Dubai we want to make Al Khuwair for Muscat a hub of hotels. During cyclone Gonu we were the least affected as our properties are away from the sea and far from the wadi beds," he said.

The government backing to the tourism industry has sent demand for rooms to an all-time high and keeps increasing."

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