Muscat: Oman has experienced a significant boost in tourism, receiving around two million foreign visitors in the first six months of 2024—a 7% rise compared to last year. This uptick underscores the country’s growing status as a desirable destination for travellers.

Among the top visitors, Emiratis lead with 578,351, followed by Indians with 316,890, Yemenis with 107,705, Germans with 83,054, and the British with 49,069. The diverse influx highlights Oman’s broad international appeal.

In June alone, the country saw 141,188 GCC nationals, 91,038 Asians, 16,520 Europeans, 5,582 Americans, 5,523 Africans, 41,281 other Arabs, and 1,090 from Oceania. Despite this increase in visitors, the total number of departures was slightly down, with 4 million people leaving the country compared to 4.1 million in the first half of 2023.

Oman is also enhancing its tourism services by exempting nationals from 103 countries from entry visas for up to 14 days, provided they meet certain requirements such as a confirmed hotel booking, health insurance, and a return ticket.