Muscat: Oman’s classified hotel sector recorded lower revenues, occupancy and guest numbers during the first eight months of 2026, although August showed signs of a month-on-month recovery in hotel activity.
Data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information showed that revenues of three- to five-star hotels reached approximately RO 156.544 million by the end of August 2026, compared with RO 175.841 million during the same period in 2025, representing a decline of 11 per cent.
The average occupancy rate stood at 46.5 per cent, down from 52.9 per cent during the corresponding period last year, a decrease of 6.4 percentage points.
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The total number of guests staying at classified hotels reached 1,352,830 by the end of August 2026, down 10.7 per cent from 1,515,472 guests during the same period in 2025.
Omani guests, however, recorded an increase of 2.7 per cent, rising to 583,702 from 568,370 a year earlier. Omanis accounted for around 43.1 per cent of the total guests at classified hotels.
The number of Asian guests also increased by 3 per cent to 220,955, compared with 214,473 during the same period in 2025.
In contrast, European guest numbers fell sharply by 29.8 per cent to 273,654, from 390,013 by the end of August last year.
Guests from Gulf countries declined by 19 per cent to 119,000, compared with 146,983 during the same period in 2025.
The number of guests from other Arab countries decreased by 9 per cent to 60,223, from 66,156, while American guests fell by 25.6 per cent to 36,756, compared with 49,415 during the same period last year.
Guests from Oceania recorded the steepest decline, falling 57.7 per cent from 29,484 at the end of August 2025 to 12,475 in the corresponding period this year.
African guest numbers also declined by 2.1 per cent to 9,698, compared with 9,904 during the same period in 2025.
Despite the overall year-on-year decline, August 2026 recorded a noticeable improvement compared with the previous two months.
The number of hotel guests rose to 198,394 in August, up 22.1 per cent from 162,427 in July. In June, the number of guests stood at 135,080.
Hotel revenues also increased to RO 18.237 million in August from RO 14.130 million in July, reflecting monthly growth of 29.1 per cent. Revenues in June stood at OMR 10.773 million.
Occupancy rates improved to 51.4 per cent in August, compared with 42.6 per cent in July and 36 per cent in June. The August occupancy rate was 8.8 percentage points higher than in July, signalling improved hotel activity during the month.
