Muscat: Oman's popularity as a preferred tourist destination, especially during the winter season, was reaffirmed by a significant increase in tourist arrivals in February. The latest data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) reveals a notable surge in visitors not only from the GCC countries but also from India and Europe.
In February 2024, the number of inbound visitors to Oman witnessed a remarkable growth of 21.5 percent, reaching 389,506 compared to 320,541 during the same period in 2023.
European visitors showed a remarkable rise of 33.5 percent, with a total of 130,415 visitors from Europe in February 2024, as opposed to 93,181 in February 2023. Germany led the pack with 40,000 visitors, followed by Italy with 29,000.
The influx of tourists from the GCC nations also saw a substantial increase of 29.2 percent during the same period.
In terms of Asian visitors, Oman welcomed 95,316 tourists in February 2024, compared to 81,379 in February 2023, with Indian nationals comprising the majority at 89,000.
The total number of GCC nationals visiting Oman stood at 227,000, with Yemenis and Americans following at 33,000 and 9,977 respectively. Interestingly, there was a slight decrease in American visitors compared to the same period last year, which stood at 12,204.
Meanwhile, outbound visitors from Oman totaled 616,130 in February 2024, with Omanis constituting 72 percent of the total. This marked a 23.7 percent decrease from the previous year when the total outbound visitors were 807,233.
In the first two months of 2024, Oman welcomed 746,000 visitors while 1.5 million visitors departed from the country.
The revenue generated by 3-5 star hotels until the end of February reached OMR52 million, hosting a total of 434,000 guests.
The occupancy rate in these hotels during February 2024 was 64.8 percent, showing an improvement from 59.6 percent in February 2023.
