Oman welcomed more than 3 million tourists in 2023

Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman welcomed more than 3 million tourists in 2023, an 41.2 percent increase over 2022 figures.

The growth can be attributed to the continuing efforts made by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism to attract more international visitors to the country.

Officials say that tourism in the Sultanate of Oman witnessed an increase of over 40 percent from January to October 2023 compared to the same period last year, as the number of visitors coming to the Sultanate of Oman reached 3.199 million.

The number of (3-5) stars hotel guests reached 1.650 million, during the period, an increase by 28.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.

This generated OMR 178.328 million total revenues, an increase of 27.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.

According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information, the occupancy rate of (3-5) stars hotels reached 53.7 per cent during October 2023, an increase of 99 per cent compared to the same month in 2022.

Ras Al Jinz Turtles Reserve witnessed a noticeable increase in the number of visitors during the period by 40.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The total number of visitors reached 41,605, compared with 29,602 visitors in 2022.

About 27,000 tourists of various nationalities visited Al Baleed and Samharam archaeological parks, and the Wadi Dawkah Natural Reserve, as part of the frankincense season activities organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in Dhofar Governorate.

SMEs reach 40

The number of participating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reached 40, including specialised companies and pioneering projects in the field of production of Omani frankincense derivatives. It is noteworthy that the activities of the frankincense season included planting 500 frankincense trees in the Wadi Dawkah Natural Reserve in Thumrait.