As the new winter tourism season approaches, optimism is running high across Oman’s tourism sector. The recent signing of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, ending the nearly two-year-old conflict in Gaza, has injected fresh momentum into regional travel. This development is expected to restore confidence among international tourists and encourage exploration across the Middle East.

A shining example of success is the Dhofar Governorate, which welcomed a record number of over one million tourists during khareef in both 2024 and 2025. This achievement underscores the effectiveness of intensive marketing strategies and the growing appeal of Oman’s natural and cultural offerings.

With peace returning to the region and tourists showing a renewed willingness to travel and explore new areas, hopes are high that the winter of 2025-26 will shatter all previous records in tourism arrival numbers.

Adding to this optimism is the latest data from UN Tourism, which reports that 690 million tourists travelled internationally between January and June 2025 — about 33 million more than in the same period of 2024.

The Middle East recorded four per cent fewer arrivals during these six months. However, after a very strong post-pandemic rebound, the region still saw 29 per cent more arrivals than the same period in 2019 — the strongest regional performance relative to pre-pandemic levels.

Despite global uncertainty, travel demand is expected to remain resilient throughout the remainder of the year. UN Tourism’s January projection of three to five per cent growth in international arrivals for 2025 remains unchanged.

In 2024, international tourism receipts grew 11 per cent to a record $1,734 billion, about 14 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. Oman’s tourism sector mirrored this global upswing, with its contribution to the national economy rising to RO 2.12 billion by the end of 2024, compared to RO 1.75 billion in 2018 — representing a growth rate of 3.2 per cent, according to the data by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

Oman received around 3.8 million visitors in 2024, of which 68.2 per cent were overnight visitors and 31.8 per cent were same-day visitors. Total tourism spending by these visitors amounted to RO 989 million.

Looking ahead, the governorates of Musandam, Dhofar and Al Dakhiliyah are all set to receive arrivals. Events like Muscat Nights, scheduled to start from January 1, 2026, and the anticipated opening of major projects such as the Oman Botanic Garden and the Muttrah Cable Car, along with the launch of the GCC Unified Visa and a peaceful regional climate, will add extra flavour to the 2025/26 tourism season.

The data also showed that more than 55 per cent of incoming visitors were from the UAE, underscoring the importance of land connectivity and ease of travel between Gulf countries.

Tourism across the Gulf Cooperation Council contributed $247.1 billion to the region’s economy in 2024, marking a nearly 32 per cent increase compared with 2019, according to the latest official data. Intra-GCC travel experienced a sharp rebound, rising 52 per cent over the same period, with 19.3 million visitors travelling between member states.

As for reasons for coming to the Sultanate of Oman, leisure topped the list with 70.2 per cent, followed by visiting relatives and friends (17.9 per cent), and shopping (5 per cent). The average length of stay ranged between 5 and 6 nights, with a total of 14.8 million tourist nights — confirming the ability of destinations in Oman to attract visitors for longer periods.

Meanwhile, the number of outgoing visitors was 8.1 million, spending a total of RO 1.8 billion. This reflects the volume of domestic spending on outbound tourism and opens the way for developing initiatives to enhance tourism retention and domestic offerings.

With strong foundations, promising trends and strategic developments underway, Oman is poised to make the winter of 2025/26 a landmark season for tourism — one that could redefine its place on the global travel map.

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