14 hours ago
Oman's tourism GDP to hit RO3.5bn in 2025
Muscat – Oman's travel and tourism sector is on course to generate RO3.5bn for the national economy in 2025, continuing a steady growth trend that has already pushed the industry beyond pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest data from World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
In 2024, the sector contributed around RO3.3bn to GDP – about 7.7% of the economy – and supported 212,700 jobs. Tourism's GDP share of 7.8% recorded in 2019 (pre-pandemic) is expected to rise to about 8.1% in 2025.
Looking ahead, WTTC forecasts the sector's contribution will grow exponentially reaching RO5.2bn by 2035. Employment is also set to grow with total tourism jobs projected to reach 277,700 by 2035, creating around 53,000 new jobs over the next decade.
Tourism-related taxes generated about US$669.4mn in 2023, accounting for roughly 1.2% of Oman's government revenue.
Spending patterns show a balanced mix of domestic and international demand. Domestic travellers made up about 52% of total tourism spending in 2024, with international visitors contributing the remaining 48%. International tourists spent about RO1.5bn in 2024 which is forecast to reach RO1.6bn this year, slightly ahead of the amount forecast to be spent by domestic travellers (RO1.5bn).
Of the total spent in 2024, 65.6% was on leisure trips and 34.4% on business travel. The UAE remains the top source market for inbound visitors (17%), followed by India (12%), the UK (8%), Germany (5%) and Bahrain (4%).
The outlook remains strong with WTTC projecting tourism GDP to grow to RO5.2bn by 2035 at an average of 4.1% per year. International visitor spending is expected to rise by 5.2% per year to RO2.7bn by 2035, while domestic spending is projected to increase 1.9% annually, reaching RO1.8bn.
WTTC analysts expect the sector's upward trend to continue driven by ongoing investments, promotional efforts and infrastructure improvements aimed at attracting more domestic and international tourists.
