Only luxury hotels to come up in these wilayats of Oman

Muscat: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has issued a decision to stop granting permits to establish hotels with a rating of less than three stars in the wilayats of the Governorate of Muscat, and to allow the establishment of only luxury level hotels only in the Wilayat of Bausher.

The ministry said in a statement: "The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is pleased to announce the introduction of a number of controls for the establishment of new hotel facilities, with the aim of guiding and enabling tourism development in various governorates according to their needs, and in order to achieve a balance in the quality of hotel facilities available to guests. Hotel establishments on private lands according to the mechanism developed as of 12/1/2021.

The ministry added that investors must abide by the criteria for classification, quality and controls specified in the executive regulations of the Tourism Law related to the organisation of hotel and tourist establishments.

 In the Governorate of Muscat, the conditions are as follows:

In the wilayats of Muscat, Muttrah, Al Amerat, and Qurayat, the suspended hotel projects are hotels of one and two stars, hotel apartments of normal classification, guest houses, and the permitted hotel projects are hotels of three, four and five stars, hotel apartments of excellent and luxurious classification, heritage hostel and green hostel.

In Wilyat of Bausher, hotel projects of all levels are:

 Suspended hotel apartments of normal classification, guest houses, and hotel apartments of excellent and luxurious classification, heritage hostel, and green hostel are allowed.

In Wilayat of Seeb: Will stop the establishment of hotels with a rating of one, two, three and four stars and hotel apartments of normal rating and guest hostels. And will allow the hotels of five stars, hotel apartments of excellent and luxurious classification, heritage hostel and green hostel.

 The ministry also clarified the classification of suspended and permitted hotel establishments in the rest of the Sultanate of Oman's governorates and states.