Muscat: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has issued a directive to all institutions, corporations, and individuals aspiring to organize adventure tourism excursions to utilize the designated electronic services platform for application submission.
Should there be any violation of the stipulated guidelines, the Ministry reserves the right to impose penalties. These penalties may include imprisonment for a minimum of ten days but not exceeding six months, in conjunction with a fine amounting to at least OMR 6,000 but not exceeding OMR 50,000, or a combination thereof as outlined under Article (17) of the Tourism Law.
Regarding the recent announcement by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism on May 8, 2023, detailing the commencement of applications for licenses for entities organizing adventure tourism trips for both institutions and companies possessing a tour operator license, as well as for specialized guidance for adventure tourism activities, the Ministry wishes to express an observation.
It has come to the attention of the Ministry that certain entities, companies, and individuals have been engaging in the organization and promotion of adventure tourism trips through social media and other platforms without obtaining the requisite license from the Ministry. Such practices are deemed to be in breach of Article (8) of the Tourism Law, which mandates that natural or legal persons are not permitted to engage in any tourism activity without the requisite license. Failure to comply with this provision may result in the imposition of the penalties mentioned previously.
The Ministry cordially invites all entities, companies, and individuals interested in organizing adventure tourism activities to proceed with their applications through the designated electronic services portal (www.mht.gov.om) and to fulfill all approved security and safety requirements.
