Muscat – Oman was among the top 20 best performing destinations in the world for tourist arrivals between January and July 2023, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The sultanate ranked 18th in the world (% change vs 2019) for the first seven months of 2023. Oman’s percentage jump was 14% for this period.

Qatar (+95%) was the best-performing destination globally in UNWTO’s World Tourism Barometer, which tracked the sector’s post-pandemic recovery over the course of 2023 up to the end of July.

“According to data from UNWTO, Oman is among the best performing countries in terms of the number of tourists during the first half of this year. Existing and upcoming promotion plans promise record results,” H E Salim bin Mohammed al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, tweeted.

‘International tourism has continued to recover from the worst crisis in its history as arrival numbers reached 84% of pre-pandemic levels between January and July 2023,’ UNWTO stated. The Middle East, Europe and Africa lead the sector’s rebound globally.

All world regions enjoyed strong tourism recovery in the first seven months of 2023, driven by demand for international travel from several large source markets.

The Middle East reported the best results in the January-July 2023 period, with arrivals 20% above pre-pandemic levels. ‘The region continues to be the only to exceed 2019 levels so far.’

Europe, the world’s largest destination region, reached 91% of pre-pandemic levels, supported by robust intra-regional demand and travel from the United States.

Africa recovered 92% of pre-crisis visitors in this seven-month period – and the Americas 87% – according to available data.

In Asia and the Pacific, recovery accelerated to 61% of pre-pandemic arrival levels after the opening of many destinations and source markets at the end of 2022 and earlier this year.

Tourist arrivals in Oman surpassed the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level of 2.5m in 2019 to 2.9mn in 2022.

A report issued by international firm BMI, a Fitch Solutions Company, has indicated that from January to May 2023, Oman reported 1,548,630 visitors, a surge of 95.1% compared to the same period last year.

According to BMI’s analysis, 3.5mn international tourists are expected to visit Oman in 2023, marking a 20.8% annual increase from 2022. Furthermore, the average annual tourist influx for the forecast period of 2023 to 2027 is expected to grow by 7.4%.

The report suggests that the Middle East will be the primary source of tourists for Oman in 2023, with 1.5mn visitors expected from the region. The Asia-Pacific region and Europe trail behind, anticipated to bring 606,390 and 320,600 tourists respectively.

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