Oman
Joins the World in Observing World Tourism Day

Muscat,
27 Sep 2026 (ONA) — The Sultanate of Oman joins the nations of the world in
celebrating World Tourism Day, which falls on the twenty-seventh of September
each year.

The
event is observed this year under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial
Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” affirming the growing role of modern
technologies in developing destinations, enhancing the visitor experience,
raising the efficiency of the tourism sector and reinforcing its resilience in
the face of change and crises.

This
year’s celebration comes amid accelerating transformations in global tourism,
driven by technology, artificial intelligence and data analytics, alongside
shifting traveller behaviour, rising demand for authentic and sustainable
experiences, and the ease of accessing information, services and bookings
through digital platforms.

It
likewise comes at a time when geopolitical and economic shifts have
demonstrated the importance of building a tourism sector capable of contending
with crises, preserving the continuity of air connectivity, diversifying
markets and reinforcing traveller confidence.

The
Sultanate of Oman continues to develop tourism as one of the principal economic
sectors targeted under the Oman Vision 2040, drawing upon its natural, cultural
and civilisational diversity and the potentials it possesses, encompassing
heritage and archaeological sites, mountains, deserts and beaches, adventure,
nature and cultural tourism, and conferences, incentives and sporting events
tourism.

Sayyid
Ibrahim bin Said Al Busaidi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, affirmed that
World Tourism Day represents an occasion to renew commitment to building a
sustainable and competitive tourism sector, maximising its contribution to the
national economy and broadening its developmental and social impact across the
various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman.

The
minister said that the tourism sector represents one of the principal pillars
of economic diversification in the Sultanate of Oman, and that the Ministry is
working to develop it according to an integrated vision that balances economic
growth with the preservation of heritage, Omani identity and culture, the
protection of natural resources, and the enhancement of local communities’
benefit from the opportunities the sector provides.

He
added that World Tourism Day comes this year amid accelerating digital
transformations in the tourism industry, explaining that the Ministry’s
approach is not confined to the use of technology in promotion, but extends to
redesigning the tourist’s journey from the stage of research, planning and
booking through to the visitor’s experience, movement and enjoyment of tourism
services and products across the various governorates.

The
minister explained that artificial intelligence and data analytics offer vast
opportunities to understand markets more precisely, design programmes and
experiences suited to visitors’ interests, raise the efficiency of promotional
campaigns, improve the management of tourism flows, and direct investments
towards the products and destinations most capable of achieving sustainable
economic and social value.

He
said that the sector’s success is not measured by the number of arrivals alone,
but by the average length of stay, the volume of tourism spending, occupancy
rates, the distribution of tourism movement across governorates and seasons,
and the number of jobs and businesses the sector generates. Our goal is for
tourism development to be reflected directly in the national economy and local
communities.

The
Minister of Heritage and Tourism noted that the coming phase will witness a
greater focus on integration between promotion, air connectivity, investment,
the quality of products and services, and the ease of digital booking. He
affirmed that reaching the targets for arrivals to the Sultanate of Oman by
international travellers by 2030 requires a broad national partnership and
continuous coordination among government entities, the private sector,
governorates, airlines, airports, hotel establishments and small and medium
enterprises.

For
his part, Azzan bin Qassim Al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of
Heritage and Tourism for Tourism, affirmed that the Ministry is working to
translate the tourism sector’s targets into executive programmes and measurable
performance indicators, encompassing the monitoring of the performance of
target markets, the enhancement of air connectivity, hotel occupancy rates, the
improvement of tourism products and experiences, and the raising of the
efficiency of tourism promotion.

He
said that the results of the first seven months of 2026 reflect the ability of
the tourism sector in the Sultanate of Oman to maintain its stability despite
regional and international changes. He added that the growth in arrivals
holding tourist visas by approximately 7 percent represents a positive
indicator of the effectiveness of promotional efforts and the diversity of
target markets.

He said
that the Ministry is working with partners to convert growth in arrival numbers
into greater economic value, by increasing the length of stay and average
spending, connecting the visitor to a greater number of tourism experiences and
products in the governorates, and improving the ability of tourism
establishments and small and medium enterprises to reach visitors and market
and book their products digitally.

He
affirmed that regional indicators show that the continuity of air connectivity,
the speed of restoring traveller confidence and the diversification of tourism
markets are not merely operational factors, but essential elements for
protecting the tourism sector and ensuring the sustainability of its growth.

He
noted that the Gulf market represents one of the most important tourism markets
for the Sultanate of Oman, given its geographical proximity, cultural
similarity and ease of access, explaining that work continues on developing
campaigns and offers targeting families, youth and those interested in
adventure tourism, linked to seasons, events, official holidays and weekends.

Indicators
from the World Travel and Tourism Council point to the growing economic
importance of the tourism sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council states, as the
GCC states’ share reached approximately 5 percent of total tourist numbers
globally during 2025, while they captured some 6.9 percent of global tourism
revenues.

The
rise in the GCC states’ share of revenues compared with their share of tourist
numbers indicates the ability of Gulf destinations to attract segments with
higher spending, and the region’s possession of diverse, high-value hotel and
tourism products.

The
total direct and indirect contribution of tourism to the GDP of the GCC states
reached approximately 11.4 percent during 2025, compared with a global average
of 10.3 percent.

The
direct and indirect economic value of the tourism sector in the GCC states
reached some USD 254.7 billion, equivalent to 2.2 percent of the global
economic value of the tourism sector, estimated at some USD 11.7 trillion.

The
sector also contributed to providing some 4.5 million jobs in the GCC states,
representing 13.6 percent of total jobs, compared with a global average of 10.9
percent, while the tourism sector provided some 371 million jobs globally.

Tourism’s
contribution to the GDP of the GCC states achieved an average annual growth of
7.3 percent during the period from 2019 to 2025, against a global average of
6.7 percent, reflecting the rapid growth of the Gulf tourism sector and its
capacity to support economic diversification policies.

Data
indicate that the total arrivals to the Sultanate of Oman during the period
from January to July 2026 reached approximately 2.152 million arrivals,
compared with some 2.164 million arrivals during the same period of 2025, a
slight decline of 0.56 percent, reflecting relative stability in performance
amid regional challenges, flight disruptions and rising travel costs.

Arrivals
holding tourist visas recorded growth of 6.9 percent, reaching approximately
1.308 million arrivals, compared with some 1.224 million arrivals during the
same period last year, an increase of close to 84 thousand arrivals.

Arrivals
holding tourist visas represent approximately 60.8 percent of total arrivals,
while arrivals from the GCC states constituted some 36.5 percent, and arrivals
via cruise ships close to 2.8 percent.

Conversely,
the number of arrivals from the GCC states declined by 7.1 percent, and
arrivals via cruise ships fell by 38 percent, confirming the importance of
intensifying programmes directed at the Gulf market, developing offers linked
to weekends, official holidays and events, alongside reviewing cruise ship
programmes and enhancing their economic return.

The
results achieved by the Sultanate of Oman acquire additional significance in light
of the conditions witnessed by tourism in the region during 2026.

Regional
indicators showed a 14 percent decline in international tourist numbers in the
Middle East during the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period of
2025, while the average decline in flight movement in the region reached some
50 percent during the period from February to May 2026.

Estimates
indicate that flight disruptions and the decline in traveller confidence led to
an estimated drop in tourism spending in the region of some USD 600 million daily
during the peak of the disruptions, while the movement of an estimated 526
thousand passengers daily through a number of major airports and air hubs in
the region was affected.

These
indicators confirm that the speed of containing crises, restoring air
connectivity and reinforcing traveller confidence are among the decisive
factors in protecting the tourism sector and accelerating its recovery.

International
experiences likewise show that destinations that intervened early by supporting
air connectivity, implementing confidence-restoring campaigns and diversifying
markets were able to significantly shorten the recovery period, compared with
destinations that contented themselves with waiting for demand to return of its
own accord.

Indicators
of the strength of Gulf passports reflect the broadened ability of citizens of
the GCC states to access international destinations, enhancing the
opportunities available for developing intra-regional tourism and designing
joint, multi-destination programmes.

According
to cumulative indicators up to 16 July 2026, the proportion of destinations
accessible to the Omani passport out of a total of 227 global destinations rose
by a growth rate of 19.7 percent compared with 2016, while the ranking of the
Omani passport advanced by nine places during the same period.

The
remaining passports of the GCC states recorded varying progress; the UAE
passport advanced 36 places, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 15 places, the State
of Qatar 12 places, the Kingdom of Bahrain 10 places, and the State of Kuwait
six places.

These
developments represent an opportunity to enhance intra-Gulf tourism, develop a
shared calendar of events, facilitate visitor movement, and promote the region
as a set of integrated destinations, not merely competing ones.

The
theme of World Tourism Day 2026 reflects the importance of moving from the
traditional use of technology to building an interconnected digital tourism
ecosystem that relies on data in decision-making and facilitates the visitor’s
access to information, services and experiences.

The
Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is working to enhance digital transformation
in the sector by developing electronic services, improving the integration of
tourism data, raising the efficiency of measuring the results of promotional
campaigns, and strengthening the presence of Omani products and experiences on
local and global booking and distribution platforms.

Artificial
intelligence applications can likewise support the sector by analysing demand
trends, forecasting seasons and promising markets, personalising tourism
content and offers, providing multilingual digital assistants, improving the
management of sites and tourism flows, and measuring visitor satisfaction in
real time.

The
Ministry affirms the importance of the responsible use of modern technologies,
the preservation of data privacy and security, ensuring the accuracy of
information, and reinforcing the role of the human element in delivering a
tourism experience that reflects the values of authentic Omani hospitality.

The
Ministry continues, in cooperation with the governorates, the relevant
authorities and the private sector, to develop destinations, prepare sites and
create new experiences, in a manner that contributes to distributing tourism
movement across the various governorates, reducing seasonality, and increasing
local communities’ benefit from tourism activity.

Development
efforts include supporting products linked to heritage, culture, crafts,
creative industries and Omani cuisine, developing adventure, nature and
mountain village trails, and empowering small and medium enterprises to offer
authentic experiences capable of being booked and marketed.

New
tourism and hotel projects also contribute to increasing absorption capacity,
diversifying accommodation options, attracting different segments of visitors,
and providing direct and indirect investment and employment opportunities.

Indicators
and international experiences highlight six principal pillars for reinforcing
the tourism sector’s capacity to contend with change, namely containing crises
at an early stage, rebuilding traveller confidence through effective
communication and accurate information, preserving the continuity of air
connectivity, enhancing Gulf coordination, raising readiness for crisis
management, and diversifying tourism markets to reduce the risks of reliance on
a limited number of markets.

These
pillars affirm the importance of a permanent mechanism for monitoring changes,
measuring their repercussions on bookings, flights and markets, and preparing
advance operational scenarios that allow rapid intervention when needed.

—
Ends/Khalid