Oman on course for a record tourist season

Muscat : Oman will see an increase of about 11 per cent in tourists this year, taking it to the two-million mark, thanks to Gulf residents looking for cheaper holidays in the region, tourism officials and operators in the country believe.

"The global crisis has forced Gulf nationals to travel closer from home and Oman is hugely benefitting from it," said Khalid Al Ghassan, head of development at the ministry of tourism.

"For the first time in any year on record, we expect about two million tourists in 2009," he added.

About 1.8 million tourists visited Oman in 2008 - 75 per cent of them regional residents from Oman's five GCC neighbours, Al Ghassan said.

The number of GCC residents visiting Oman has increased 6 per cent in the first half of 2009 to 710,000 compared to the same period last year, he said.

A total of 1.1 million tourists visited Oman in the first six months of this year, up from 980,000 over the same period in 2008, according to Al Ghassan.

"The improvement of oil prices, and I guess the H1N1 flu has got something to do with the rise of GCC tourists as well," Sulaiman Al Harthy, managing director of Horizon Tourism said.

Apart from Oman, the GCC states comprise of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. The GCC states rely heavily on crude oil exports, which make 70 per cent of their income.

Gulf states have seen revenue fall with the slump in oil prices from a peak near $150 in July 2008. Crude prices have recovered from lows of around $32 a barrel in December to around $70 (Dh257).

Travel agents said that Salalah in the south is the major tourist attraction for Gulf nationals for its mild weather in the summer and Ras Al Hadd during the winter.

"Gulf citizens and Europeans love Salalah during the summer and the place is booming...they also go to see turtle nesting at Ras Al Hadd," said Mustafa Al Khairy of Bahwan Travels.

Other major tourist attractions in Oman are the ancient castles, beaches, handicrafts and desert camping.