MUSCAT – The hotel and tourism sector in Al Buraimi Governorate recorded remarkable growth during 2026, with the number of licensed hotel establishments rising by 18 percent — an increase of 8 establishments compared to previous years — bringing the total number of licensed hotel and tourism establishments in the governorate to 47 across various classifications.

Humaid Rashid Al Zaidi, Director of the Heritage and Tourism Department in Al Buraimi Governorate, stated that the increase in the number of hotel establishments contributed to boosting the capacity of the governorate’s hotel sector and helped address room shortages that used to occur during tourist seasons and official occasions.

He explained that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is working to diversify the classifications of hotel establishments to suit various categories of visitors and residents, and to meet the growing demand for hotel and tourism services.

He indicated that the licensed hotel establishments in the governorate are distributed among three tourist resorts with ratings ranging between two and four stars, six hotels with one-star and two-star ratings, alongside 14 standard hotel apartment establishments, 10 licensed green lodges located among farms, 12 guesthouses, and one luxury tourist camp with a one-star rating.

He pointed out that these establishments are distributed between the wilayats of Al Buraimi and Mahdah, with the Wilayat of Mahdah comprising one tourist resort, one luxury camp, 5 green lodges, and 3 guesthouses, while the Wilayat of Al Buraimi includes two tourist resorts, 6 green lodges, 9 guesthouses, and one tourist rest house.

Al Zaidi added that the legislative environment and investment incentives, including the issuance of the executive regulations for the Tourism Law and its reduction of fees for preliminary approvals and hotel establishment licenses, contributed to creating legal flexibility for operating green lodges, guesthouses, and heritage hotels, encouraging local investors and entrepreneurs to establish medium-cost tourism projects.

He emphasised that the ease and speed of processing applications, alongside clear regulations and transparency, encouraged citizens to invest in agricultural and residential land by converting them into hotel and tourism establishments, thereby enhancing investor confidence and supporting sector growth.
He explained that the digital transformation of services provided through the Oman Business Platform played a significant role in accelerating licensing procedures by enabling investors to submit and track applications electronically, which reflected positively on attracting more investments into the tourism sector.

The Director of the Heritage and Tourism Department in Al Buraimi Governorate noted that the governorate’s strategic location and proximity to border crossings have made it a major gateway for overland tourism and trade movement, stressing that infrastructure development contributed to enhancing family tourism.

He added that the continuous growth in the governorate’s hotel and tourism sector will contribute to creating job opportunities for job seekers, supporting small and medium enterprises, and revitalizing traditional markets, transport sectors, restaurants, cafes, and other activities linked to the tourism ecosystem.