Challenge turned to opportunity in 2011 as Oman reaped the benefits of social and political turbulence elsewhere in the region
As 2011 turned to 2012, Oman arguably has more cause to celebrate than many of its neighbours in the Arab world.
As tourists stayed clear of trouble spots such as Egypt and Tunisia last year Oman - seen as a land of tranquility despite its own sporadic anti-government protests - capitalised.
Those responsible for marketing the Sultanate's leisure charms will have plenty of collateral to work with.
Last October, Muscat was selected as the Arab Tourism Capital for the year.
Perhaps more significantly, last month National Geographic magazine, in its latest issue, had the country in its Top 20 global tourist destinations list, the only Arab country to feature. With publicity like this, the Middle East's 'best kept secret' is firmly on the international radar.
While Oman's tourism chiefs enter 2012 with a spring in their step, they will reflect on a 2011 which threatened a very different kind of spring.
As popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa last year toppled veteran rulers in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, and forced Yemen's president to sign away his powers, 'Arab Spring' unrest unexpectedly also reached Oman.
Hundreds of Omanis took to the streets demanding more jobs, higher pay and an end to graft by government officials. Although two people were killed last February when security forces in the industrial city of Sohar dispersed a stone-throwing crowd of protesters, Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said promised reform and handouts. As protests raged elsewhere, the streets of Oman were once again calm and the country's image remained largely unscathed.
"We should be thankful that Oman's five month protests did not damage its reputation as a major tourist destination of the Gulf country. Visitors consider Oman the safest Arab country to visit and we are benefitting in a big way at the moment," said Khalaf al Jadidi, owner of Desert Dunes, which organises overnight camps in remote areas
"Political unrest in Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and even Yemen has become a boon to Oman. Tourists who would normally go to Tunisia and Libya are still unsure about the situation there. They now find Oman a safer place to spend a quiet holiday," said Al Jadidi.
Figures appear to back up his view. According to tourism operators, a record number of visitors flocked to Oman during the first two months of the holiday season. Tourism ministry figures show the Sultanate received 220,000 tourists in October and November 2011, up an impressive 50 per cent on the same period of 2010. Oman hosted a total of 1.12 million tourists between January and November 2011.
The ministry further forecasts a 35 per cent rise in visitors to the country in 2012.
"We operate at the moment a full house and we will continue to do so in the next three months or so in the same way. It is an unprecedented tourist visitation this season which I can only link to the Arab Spring phenomenon," said Talal al Araimi, sales assistant manager at the Muscat Intercontinental Hotel.
Said Khalfan, a tour specialist who runs a holiday website, was similarly upbeat.
"The bookings we've received for the next three months are overwhelming and we pass the tourists to rival companies to share the burden. Most of them go to the deserts and picturesque villages. Beach areas are in high demand as well," he explained.
Bolstered by its new-found status as one of the world's 'must see' destinations, tourism leaders will hope this seasonal phenomena will become a more permanent fixture.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the contribution of travel and tourism to Oman's gross domestic product (GDP) is forecast to rise from 6.7 per cent in 2009 to 9.9 per cent by 2019, by which time an estimated one in ten of the country's labour force will work in the sector.
Leveraging the publicity of exposure in the likes of National Geographic will help, but if the country's tourism strategists have their way it will not be the masses who explore its wadis and pitch up at its luxury hotels.
But Oman's long-term tourism policy places heavy emphasis on 'exclusive' tourism - attracting well-heeled, high yield travelers who are interested in the country's natural beauty - as well as numerous oases and picturesque villages, it has a 1,700 km long coastline with white sandy, and mostly completely undeveloped, beaches - as well as world-class entertainment facilities.
Investment in infrastructure to meet the needs of this niche market have already been forthcoming. An opulent Opera House opened its doors last October to critical acclaim, hosting some of the best-known names in opera and ballet. The Sultanate also boasts 13 five-star resorts, with more on the way. According to reports, private investors are planning to build a $1 billion medical tourism city. The government, meanwhile, has also committed to expanding the capacity of the two biggest airports in the country, at Muscat and Salalah, to handle anticipated numbers.
Oman's deliberate focus on the upmarket sector is also part of a broader coordinated approach among different agencies in the country's economy. In an interview in this issue, Oman Air's former chief executive Peter Hill says it is important to get the right type of audience.
"I'm renowned for banking on the ministry of tourism's door saying 'You've got to go and tell more people about Oman, but do it selectively."
As regional tumult rumbles on, the quiet backwater that is Oman will hope to capitalise - but don't expect it to shout about it from the rooftops.
© The Gulf 2012
