Ministry plans to develop adventure tourism

Muscat: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is working on development and regulation of adventure tourism as one of the fastest growing types of tourism, worldwide.

The adventure tourism attracts tourists interested in adventure and entertainment every year, thanks to the efforts accorded for encouragement of eco-tourism.

The statistics issued by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) showed that the adventure tourism market amounted to $282.1 million in 2021 and is expected to see an annual growth of 15.2 percent from 2022 to 2030.
Dawood bin Sulaiman Al Rashidi, Director of the Department of Tourism Product Development at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism reaffirmed the Ministry’s care and attention for adventure tourism due to the increasing growth in exercising the adventure tourism activities in the Sultanate, in particular,  and worldwide.

He said that the Ministry  of Heritage and Tourism organises, along with its partners, adventure tourism activities. He also pointed to that the Ministry has developed the adventure tourism in accordance to the ministry’s plan and has set up the prospects related to management of risks and safety in exercising  the various activities of adventure tourism as to ensure safety of all participants and personnel engaged with the adventure tourism.

The Ministry’s programme for development of adventure tourism has focused on development of several key elements including the organisation and legislative framework , implementing the security and safety concepts and creation of training programmes on activities of adventure tourism including rescue and awareness with the safety and security requirements while exercising the adventure tourism activities and encouragement of the projects associated with the activities of adventure tourism.

He also pointed to that the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism signed, last June, a cooperation agreement in the field of training in adventure activities.

The agreement aimed to encourage and boost horizons of joint cooperation between the two parties.

On the significance of obtainment of verification certificate on safety and security requirements related to the adventure tourism, he said that Ministerial Decision No. 124/2020 has stipulated the necessity for obtainment of the licensees ( travel and tourism offices) verification certificates for the required licence for exercising the adventure activities.