Surprising increase in tourism revenue in Oman

Statistics released by the National Center for Statistics and Information (NCSI) show that the tourism sector generated direct additional income of OMR 1.1 billion at the end of 2022, compared to what was achieved in 2021. OMR 804.9 million or 33% higher than the income generated, the tourism sector contributed 2.4% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Tourism Statistical Bulletin showed that domestic tourism in the Sultanate of Oman contributed 68 percent to tourism output, which is equivalent to OMR 1.3 billion during 2022.

In 2022, the number of tourist arrivals to the Kingdom was estimated at 2.9 million, a 348 percent increase from the 2021 figure of 652,000.

In terms of volume, tourists from GCC states ranked first (1.6 million tourists), followed by Asian countries (651,000 tourists) and European countries (360,000 tourists), while tourists from other Arab nationalities accounted for 240,000.

The number of tourists who stayed more than one night during their trip was 2.1 million, while the number of tourists who stayed one day in Oman was 861,000. The total general expenditure of inbound tourists is OMR 592.4 million.

During 2022, the growth rate of the total expenditure of the departing tourists reached OMR 966.6.