Natural beauty powers Oman to second spot in GCC in guest experience

Muscat: Oman has been ranked second among GCC nations in tourists having positive guest experiences.
A recent survey of nine Arab countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Oman, conducted by real estate company Colliers International, saw the Sultanate score a Guest Experience Index of 80.
One of the reasons Oman ranks so high is because of the natural beauty the nation possesses, something other GCC nations do not have, according to Praveen George, General Manager, Sales and Marketing for the Aitken Spence Group.
“Oman has a lot of natural beauty, but most of the tourists are not aware of this,” said George. “It’s not just in Muscat either, but even when you go all the way to the Wahiba Sands in the desert, there is a huge change in the manner of the beauty Oman has to offer, and that brings a lot of customers once they experience this. This is very different to what the rest of the Middle East has to offer.”
This was reflected by Baidha Al Sukaiti, PR and Communications Manager for Intercontinental Hotel Muscat.
“Oman is different from the rest of the Middle East because it’s not just events in the desert that we have,” she said. “In neighbouring nations, you mostly have shopping-related activities, but here, there are some great outdoor adventures for everyone.
“We have some of the best beaches in the region, and some of the best seas in the world, so Oman presents a great opportunity for diving. In addition, there’s all sorts of natural environments here, so people who love natural beauty will definitely want to come to Oman.”
Dubai and Doha also registered a score of 80, while Abu Dhabi was ranked first among GCC cities, registering a score of 83.
According to data released by the National Council for Statistics and Information, Oman recorded a total of 1,056,154 tourists at the end of September 2016, an increase of nearly 200,000 visitors from the same time last year.