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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Jobs plan to see SMEs’ surge in tourism sector

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By Samuel Kutty — MUSCAT: Jan. 28 - The government’s initiatives to increase Omanisation target and generate more jobs for nationals are expected to find a strong foothold in the tourism sector. Feeding off the development will be a large number of small and medium enterprise (SMEs) set to come up in the sector. According to Ahmed bin Nasser al Mehrzi, Minister of Tourism, the number of SMEs in the sector will rise to 1,200 by 2040. “The implementation of tourism strategy will enhance the growth of the tourism industry which, in turn, will result in generating a considerable number of fresh job opportunities in the Omani labour market,” the minister said in an interview.


He said that apart from new jobs, a large number of projects being planned as part of the tourism strategy will help generate more Omani entrepreneurs in the future. “Tourism Strategy 2040 has identified 14 areas for projects in different parts of the Sultanate. Each tourism complex includes a number of tourism projects, services and facilities that meet the needs of each tourism area,” he said. The growing role of tourism in Oman represents not only the emergence of a diversifying economic system, it is also one of the key pillars in attaining the goals of long-term sustainability set forth in the Oman Vision 2040.


He said the strategy is expected to add to the growth of the sector, generate about 50,000 jobs and increase the number of inbound tourists to 11 million.  “The government is making steady efforts to ensure optimum utilisation of its resources and enhance its position on the world tourism map. A number of tourism projects have already been implemented in addition to developing tourism services at a number of tourism attractions,” he told Aqar magazine. According to him, the added value to hotels and restaurants in the Sultanate stood at RO 226 million in 2015. The added value to the tourism sector in general stood at RO 748.6 million.


According to World Travel and Tourism Council, the contribution of travel and tourism to GDP is expected to increase to 9.9 per cent by 2019. Projects are expected to raise the GDP by 20 per cent. By 2024, the direct contribution by travel and tourism to the GDP will be 3.9 per cent by 2024, at $4.7 billion. “With focused efforts by the public and private sectors to incrementally expand tourism infrastructure, all indications are that the industry is on track to continue growing in its capacity to support a more sustainable economy for the future of the Oman,” he said.


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