(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- The tourism sector contributed about RO748.6mn to GDP in 2015, an increase of 2.8 per cent, according to the data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information. Local tourists constituted 77 per cent of the sector in the sultanate in 2015.
The tourism indicators bulletin registered a rise in the number of hotels in the sultanate in 2015, reaching 318, compared to 235 in 2011, an increase of 35 per cent. Total hotel revenues reached RO226.9mn in 2015 and the revenues of five-star hotels constituted 44.2 per cent.
The rise in the number of hotels was accompanied by a rise in the number of employees.
Data indicate that the number of workers in these hotels in 2015 touched 11,054, up by three per cent compared to 2014. Omanis constituted 29 per cent of the total number in 2015 and they constituted 33 per cent of the total number in five-star hotels.
Guests in these hotels rose to 2.7mn in 2015 compared to 2.4mn in 2014, which is reflected in the rate of room occupancy in hotels that increased by 50 per cent in 2015 compared to 49.2 per cent in 2014. The total number of rooms in 2015 also increased by 5.1 per cent compared to 2014.
The number of visitors to Oman touched 2.6mn in 2015, up by 88 per cent compared to 2011. These visitors spent RO288.3mn, a 15 per cent rise compared to 2014. They spent 38.1 per cent of their total spending on accommodation. The average length of the stay of tourists rose to seven nights in 2015 in comparison to six nights in 2011. The GCC visitors constituted 45.5 per cent of the total visitors in 2015.
The ninth Five-Year Plan (2016–20) has paid great attention to this sector due to the role that it could play in attracting foreign investments and creating employment opportunities.
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