We see a lot of tourists from neighbouring countries on weekends and vacations. Border checkpoints are busy during holidays. There is nothing new and extraordinary in people travelling from one country to the neighbouring country. Easy getaways are always a preferred choice as it is cheap and convenient.
More than three million visitors or tourists including those from Gulf Cooperation Council states come to the Sultanate of Oman. There is more traffic in the autumn season. They come here and enjoy our huge tourism potential. They come here with friends and families. The Dhofar Governorate attracts more tourists from neighbouring countries in the summer. The number is increasing year after year.
The data issued by ForwardKeys showed that Oman was recording an increase in the number of tourists compared to many tourist destinations in the region. It said that there was an increase of more than 93 per cent from the beginning of September until the end of this year, compared to the same period last year.
According to it, the increase in the number of tourists from outside the region was 156 per cent during the same period. The report has also projected that the number of tourists coming to Oman from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries was expected to increase by 196 per cent by the end of this year. The UAE is one of the largest tourism markets for the Sultanate. The number of tourists coming to the Sultanate of Oman in the first three months of this year was 131,000.
This indicates that the inbound tourism is in favour of the Sultanate. This may not be noticeable in the case of air travel. But inbound visitors from land routes are many times more than those who arrive by air.
South Al Batinah, Al Dhahirah, Al Buraimi and Musandam, which account for half the population of the Sultanate of Oman, share the borders with the UAE. It is natural that these governorates will have more a tourists on weekends and holidays.
People come here just for a change, recreation or shopping. This does not mean that there is no domestic tourism in these governorates.
One can hardly find an empty hotel or lodges even a few days before the start of the holidays. The Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates are natural destinations for people in the region. This is due to their existing social, geographical and commercial links.
We should not forget that the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE are the two largest trading partners. There are 3,000 Emirati companies registered in the Sultanate of Oman. Omani non-oil exports to the UAE increased by 71 per cent. The trade exchange between the two countries in 2021 was RO 5.7 billion. Such matters should be kept in their correct scientific, economic, and investment contexts, before engaging in conversations which are not based on any facts.
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