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Oman’s Tourism Potential Draws Investors

Global Arab Network - Robert Bailey

Sunday, 15 November 2009 20:14

Oman’s tourism sector is becoming an increasingly attractive target for foreign investors. Last year, the Sultanate entered the World Economic Forum’s travel and tourism competitiveness index for the first time. In the latest 2009 rankings it was placed in 68th place out of 133 countries moving up eight places in just a year.

The index measures less the attractions of a country to visitors but rather how attractive investment is in a country’s tourism sector.

Criteria include policy rules and regulations, environmental sustainability, safety and security, health and hygiene, sector prioritisation, price competitiveness, human capital, sector affinity and cultural and natural resources.

Visitor entry to Oman, for example, has been streamlined and travellers from 60 countries can now obtain entry visas at Seeb International airport on arrival rather than through time consuming application processes in their home countries.

In order to accommodate the planned increase in tourism Oman is committed to wide ranging infrastructure expansions and improvements. A multi-billion dollar investment programme for the sector is underway designed to quadruple the number of visitors Oman receives to 1.2 million in the next decade.

These include upgrades at the airports serving Muscat and Salalah, expansion of hotel capacity across the country as well as positioning the Sultanate as a first-class meetings, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) location.

A new luxury hotel complex the Shangri-La La Jissah resort opened in 2006.
Another recent opening has been the Six Senses Hideaway at Zighy Bay featuring 82 villas and a spa.

There are eleven five-star hotel or resort complexes in Oman with many more planned or under construction. The country’s first luxury establishment Al Bustan which also features its own beach re-opened in September after a refurbishment.

Other projects under way include the $2.7 billion ”Wave” beachfront development, the “Blue City” complex in Muscat designed by Norman Foster and the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club.

The $1.17 billion modernisation and expansion of Muscat’s international airport is well under way. Six new airports are planned to open up the country’s interior and assist the country’s economic diversification programme. These will be located at Adam, Duqm, Haima, Ras al Hadd, Shaleem and Sohar.

Global Arab Network

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