ECONOMY FOCUS - By Samuel Kutty - THE Sultanate of Oman, assisted by the government’s long-term economic plan to diversify income sources, is well regarded as a destination for tourists. It offers visitors an incredibly wide variety of landscapes with several wonders and surprises. Widely known as Arabia’s best kept secrete, the Sultanate has lastly emerged into the travel world enlightening a land of friendly people and spectacular natural beauty.

While preserving its ethnicities, like its environment, national dress, markets, the turtles, and dolphins, Oman is a broadminded and tolerant nation and it will not take much effort to experience the famous hospitality and generosity of spirit of its people. As part of Vision for Oman’s National Economy: Oman 2020, the Ministry of Tourism aims to attract 12 million visitors by 2020. The tourism industry is expected to become one of the largest contributors to GDP by then.

The leading tourism-related investment, development and management company, Omran, boasts an asset of $10 billion and heading to achieve new heights, as tourism is emerging as a priority growth sector for the economy. Omran, established and owned by the government, seeks and initiates a wide range of joint venture projects, acting as coordinator for investment in tourism developments initiated by national and international partners.

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council report, the contribution to the economy by tourism-related activity is expected to reach 9.2per cent of the GDP by 2020. Tourism growth is also being driven by the swathe of luxury hotels opening in the Sultanate.

Omran sees a very important issue in the principle that development of tourism should be in line with the environmental and ecological friendly policy of the government and its guidelines.
But increasingly the country has to compete with other Middle East destinations that offer similar experiences of ecotourism for Western and regional tourists.

Of late, security and political issues in the Middle East started posing a threat to the tourism industry across the region. But, here too, Oman survived the scare and is well regarded as a place of peace and safe haven for tourists compared to a few other countries in the Middle East. The Sultanate maintains good relations with countries across the globe.

Gudrun Rucckeol, a traveller journalist from Stuttgurt, Germany, testifies this fact when she talked to Observer: “As far as destinations go, my travel thermometer tells me Oman is witnessing real tourism growth and will remain a travel hotspot”.

According to Gudrun, “travellers to the Middle East are increasingly heading for Oman, which offers stunning unspoilt scenery in deserts, tranquil oases, rugged mountains and peaceful beaches and rich cultural heritage, with friendly locals and year-round sunshine thrown in for good measure”.

Amongst the most prized virtues in Oman are courtesy and hospitality of its people. Foreigners are free to roam wherever they want and may be surprised by offers of coffee from the locals, she comments in one of her travel features.

The Omani government is one of the most pro-active bodies in the region in terms of promoting tourism development. The government is active in encouraging private and foreign participation in the market, and is a co-investor in many tourism projects.

In the current budget, a12 per cent increase has been made in the government expenditure to provide strong impetus to business and service activities, thereby helping accelerate the growth of the economy.

Oman has been investing heavily in tourism, especially in infrastructure and airports. Three new airports will be built to boost the industry and the government is spending millions of riyals for upgrading its gateway airport — Muscat International Airport.

Tourism potential has significantly increased as a result of aggressive tourism infrastructure investments and the introduction of laws and regulations that encourage foreign direct investment into the tourism sector.

Source: http://main.omanobserver.om/node/51775