The State Council on Wednesday approved an eight-month study on the tourism sector in Oman, which will now be sent to the Council of Ministers.

The study titled, ‘The Reality of Tourism in the Sultanate Through its Laws and Legislation’ is over 50 pages long and offers recommendations on what can be improved in the sector.

The report was compiled by the council’s Culture, Media and Tourism Committee.

Council members discussed the report for several hours before approving it.

A separate committee has been formed to include these suggestions before it is sent to the Council of Ministers.

The study complements the Ministry of Tourism’s own 2040 strategy as well as initiatives in the tourism sector proposed by Tanfeedh.
Committee members said they referred to broad aspects of the ministry’s strategy in forming their report, but were not able to look in detail because it is still not officially approved.

Discussions on Wednesday focused on areas such as Omanisation rate in the tourism sector, contribution to GDP, and infrastructure.
Members focused on the need for laws to be revised.

One member pointed out that although the number of tourists arriving in Oman has been rising, the contribution to GDP was not. He called for a greater understanding on why tourism is not contributing more to income.

Some members spoke of the need to quicken processes in constructing tourism projects. However, attention should be paid to environmental considerations.

The Culture, Media and Tourism Committee is headed by Abdullah al Sibani and the rapporteur is Sheikh Abdullah al Hosni.

In other news, State Council office member Musallam al Mash’any was elected the new vice president of the Arab Parliament.