Two more tourism sites for development

Thanks to the new Royal Directives, tourism, which is one of the targeted sectors in the 10th Five-Year Plan, is all set to get further momentum.

According to the announcement made by the Ministry of Finance, two more tourism projects -- waterfront of Dahariz Beach in Dhofar Governorate and water pools at Wadi Bani Khalid in the Governorate of North Al Sharqiyah have been added to the 10th plan for development.

While the plan, spanning the years from 2021 to 2025 kicked off its implementation as part of the Oman Vision 2040, seeks to achieve real GDP growth at the rate of not less than 3.5 per cent on average throughout its period, it set a target of 3 per cent for tourism in the country’s GDP.

The Tourism Strategy, at the same time, aims to attract more than five million international visitors by 2040, in addition to same-day visitors and domestic tourists, making tourism one of the most significant income generators in the country.

Under the directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, plans for investment will target the vital aspects of the tourism sector, develop tourism destinations, enable the growth of tourism supply chains, offer investment support and assess priorities related to the growth of tourism and heritage in the country.

In May last year, Salim bin Mohammed al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, announced that 14 tourist sites across the country were identified for development.

Dahariz Beach in Dhofar Governorate to be added to the list of tourist destinations for development is located just a few minutes away from Salalah.

One of the most popular hangout zones for locals and tourists alike, the beach of Dahariz, situated between the Arabian Sea on one side and a lagoon on the other, provide a truly unique landscape to the beach and its surrounding areas.

The beach is quite popular all year round, but does see a surge in visitors during the Khareef season.

The pools in Maqal, Wadi Bani Khalid in North Al Sharqiyah Governorate, are characterised by their continuous flow throughout the year. The water of these ponds, which is about 8 kilometres from the centre of the state, is distributed over a few aflaj, such as Al Haili and Al Farda, to irrigate fields and agricultural orchards and to provide the water stock needed to irrigate the plantations and palm trees in the valley.

According to the Directorate of Tourism in North Al Sharqiyah, Over 220,000 people visited Wadi Bani Khalid in 2019.

Among other Gulf nationals, the Emiratis topped the list followed by Bahrainis. The number of other Arab nationals who reached Wadi Bani Khalid was 7,245. European tourists who came here during this period were approximately 88,662.

There were 54,634 Asians and 3,688 American tourists who visited Wadi Bani Khalid in 2019. The number of Omani visitors reached about 65,476.

According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the contribution of tourism together with travel and hospitality totalled around RO 1.293 billion in 2019, up from RO 1.233 billion a year earlier.

The value added of tourism amounted to RO 717.9 million in 2019, accounting for 2.5 per cent of the GDP – a contribution that needs to be significantly ramped up if the government’s goal of achieving a 6-per cent GDP share by 2040 is to be met.