(MENAFN- The Peninsula) With a significant rise in the number of tourists from Qatar to Oman, the sultanate's Ministry of Tourism plans to open a representative office in Doha to promote tourism between both countries, a senior official at the ministry has said.
The ministry has opened 10 offices overseas, catering to some 21 countries in different continents.
"We have offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE which are serving Qatari tourists. However, if need we may open an office in Doha to serve better," Haitham Al Ghassani, Assistant Director-General, Tourism Promotion and Domestic Events at the ministry said.
Al Ghassani told a group of Doha-based journalists at the ministry in Muscat that Oman, along with some other GCC members, is looking forward to facilitating cruise tourism in the region.
He said Oman is seeking Qatar to join 'Cruise Arabia' - a union of Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi - as the fourth regional member of the alliance to promote cruise tourism in the GCC.
Endowed with the most diverse landscape and natural beauties among all GCC countries, Oman has witnessed a 17 percent jump year-on-year in the number of tourists from the GCC countries, including Qatar.
According to the ministry's statistics, the number of GCC citizens, including Qataris, visiting Oman between January and September 2014 increased by over 100,000 to 701,311 from 599,696 during the same period last year.
The number of Qataris visiting Oman has also increased. In 2013, some 3,449 Qataris visited Salalah, Oman's second largest city, up 26 percent compared to 2,865 in 2012. Al Ghassani did not provide country-specific figures.
Oman, with very limited hydrocarbons reserves, is trying to reduce its dependence on energy revenues by diversifying its economy to achieve sustainable development.
It is promoting non-hydrocarbon industries, including the tourism and hospitality sector.
In 2012, Oman received over two million tourists from across the world, which increased to over 2.1m in 2013, up 2.8 percent.
"In line with Oman's Vision 2020, the contribution of the sector is supposed to reach 3 percent of GDP, which we think is achievable. Unfortunately in 2013, the sector's share slipped to 2 percent from 2.5 the previous year. We are taking steps and are confident to hit the target by 2020," he added.
Dubbed 'gem of the GCC' by media, Oman offers a wide range of tourist avenues, including world heritage sites, forts, castles, mountain-trekking, desert-safari, caves, islands, parks, lagoons and beaches with clean waters and clear skies.
To attract tourists, over the years, the country has developed some 282 hotels offering over 22,500 bed spaces.
The number of rooms and bed spaces in 2012-13 witnessed a growth of about 12 percent.
After Muscat, Salalah receives the second highest number of tourists, especially during khareef season. In 2013, it received over 433,600 tourists, registering 23 percent growth compared to over 351,000 tourists in 2012.
Jabal Al Akhdar, two-hour drive from Muscat, is the second highest peak (about 2,300 metres from the seal level) and one of the most popular destinations due to its cold climatic conditions.
Average temperature at the peak during summer ranges between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius, which is a rare phenomenon in the Gulf.
During winter, temperature drops below minus five degrees, sometimes witnessing snow fall.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.