Muscat: According to the latest “Reality of Tourism in the Sultanate of Oman” bulletin issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information, tourists stayed an average of 6.5 nights, while average spending per visitor reached around RO 256.

The country’s hotels also recorded significant growth, with the number of guests exceeding 5 million in 2025, compared with around 3.5 million in 2018.

The figures highlight the tourism sector’s strong recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of growing public and private investment aimed at diversifying Oman’s tourism offerings and improving the quality of services.

The number of establishments operating in tourism-related activities exceeded 24,000 in 2025, marking growth of more than 40 per cent compared with 2020.

Muscat accounted for the largest share of these establishments at 43.5 per cent, followed by Dhofar at 17.5 per cent and North Al Batinah at 11 per cent.

Employment in the sector also continued to expand. The tourism-related workforce exceeded 182,000, while the number of Omanis employed in these establishments rose to around 32,000 in 2025, compared with approximately 28,000 in 2024 and 25,000 in 2023.

Tourism’s contribution to Oman’s GDP at current prices increased to RO 1.135 billion in 2025, up 37.6 per cent from RO 825 million in 2018.

The sector’s direct added value stood at around RO 1.107 billion in 2025.

Hotels accounted for RO 252.1 million of this value, followed by travel agencies and other booking services at RO 242.7 million. Restaurants contributed RO 198.8 million, transport activities RO 196.5 million, other tourism activities RO 197.9 million and cultural activities RO 18.8 million.

Investment in the hotel sector has also risen substantially over the past five years.

The number of hotels reached around 1,475 by the end of 2025, more than 1,000 higher than the number recorded in 2018.

Hotel revenues climbed to RO 359 million in 2025, compared with RO 259 million in 2018.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, revenues had fallen sharply to RO 102 million. The recovery gathered pace from 2022, when hotel revenues reached RO 224 million, before increasing to RO 276 million in 2023 and RO 293 million in 2024.

The sector was identified as a priority under the Ninth Five-Year Plan, while the Tenth Five-Year Plan placed greater emphasis on increasing tourism’s contribution to GDP. The Eleventh Five-Year Plan is focused on strengthening the sector’s competitiveness and its role in supporting economic growth.

Under Oman Vision 2040, the Sultanate aims to increase tourism’s contribution to GDP to 3.5 per cent by 2030 and 5.3 per cent by 2040, reinforcing the sector’s growing role in investment, employment and economic diversification.