Video length: 08:38 Economy Omani lower house approves income tax Oman is on the verge of becoming the first Gulf nation to introduce a personal income tax, as it seeks to diversify revenue streams beyond oil in line with its Vision 2040 plan. The Majlis al-Shura, the lower house of the Omani parliament, approved a draft law last week, forwarding it to the State Council, […] July 3, 2024
Real Estate Dar Global to launch luxury Trump Tower in Jeddah London-listed real estate developer Dar Global and The Trump Organization have announced a new luxury real estate project in Saudi Arabia. The company partnered with the Trump Organisation in 2022 to use the former president’s name for its $4 billion master development in Muscat, a joint venture with Oman Tourism Development Company. Ziad El Chaar, […] July 1, 2024
Renewable Energy Masdar and Acwa Power vie for Oman solar project The UAE’s Masdar and Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power have been shortlisted to develop Oman’s 500-megawatt (MW) Ibri III solar project. The plant, launched by Nama Power and Water Procurement Company, will be built at a cost of OR155 million ($401 million). NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week NewsletterGet the […] July 1, 2024
Real Estate Oman’s real estate sector continues to slide Apartment prices in Oman dropped more than 17 percent in the first quarter of 2024, while villa prices rose a meagre 0.8 percent, according to the latest government figures. Residential real estate prices were down across the board quarter on quarter, including those for land. The Musandam region recorded the largest overall decline at 15.7 […] June 25, 2024
Artificial Intelligence Qatar’s Ooredoo signs AI deal with chipmaker Nvidia US chipmaker Nvidia has signed a deal with Qatari telecommunications provider Ooredoo Group to bring its artificial intelligence technology to five countries in the Middle East, the companies announced on Sunday. Ooredoo will be the first company in the region to offer direct access to Nvidia’s AI and computer chips to its customers in Qatar, […] June 24, 2024
Economy Oman to build $31m Film City Oman is to build an OR12 million ($31.2 million) ‘Film City’ to boost its entertainment sector, a news report said. The project follows the outcomes of workshops held in March by the ministry of sports, culture and youth, Oman Daily Observer reported, citing a government official. The city is expected to provide more than 100 […] June 24, 2024
Tourism Luxury hotel revenues in Oman rise to $242m Oman’s luxury hotels continued to make money in April as the number of guests surged. The revenue of three- to five-star hotels rose 11 percent year on year to OMR93 million ($242 million), the state-run Oman News Agency said, quoting the National Centre for Statistics and Information data. The revenue increase was driven by a […] June 18, 2024
Agriculture Oman to build agricultural city to enhance food security Oman will build an agricultural city as part of its food security initiative, a news report said. Saham Agricultural City will cover an area of 65 sq km, with 70 percent dedicated to agriculture and 30 percent to urban development, Oman Daily Observer reported. The city will use advanced technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics and […] June 17, 2024
Video length: 04:49 VIDEO Aviation ‘It’s survival of the fittest’, says Oman Air CEO Oman Air is continuing to reduce its losses and increase revenue, but its new CEO believes that adding more airlines to the market would not be sustainable. “There’s certainly a huge amount of aircraft coming to this region,” said Con Korfiatis, CEO of Oman Air, speaking at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai in May a […] June 12, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Oman records 300% surge in Russian tourists The number of Russian tourists visiting Oman jumped 300 percent year on year in 2023, a senior government official has said. Russian tourists reached 53,145 last year, compared with 13,000 in 2022, said Azzan Al Busaidi, undersecretary of tourism in the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. “Oman is a multi-seasonal destination famous for its natural […] June 12, 2024
Opinion Employment Private sector may not solve Oman’s rise in unemployment Less pay and longer working hours are not something young graduates are very keen on June 11, 2024
Finance Oman trade balance surplus up 37% on higher oil exports Oman’s trade balance surplus rose 37 percent year on year to OR2.6 billion ($6.8 billion) at the end of the first quarter of 2024, as rising oil and gas revenues benefited the sultanate’s balance of payments, official data showed. The total value of merchandise exports jumped 16.7 percent year on year to OR6.5 billion, state-run […] June 10, 2024
Aviation Airports consider ‘transit hotels’ for 6-hour stays Saudi Arabia’s aviation expansion could stretch to transit hotels inside airport terminals where customers can pay for stays of less than the standard 24 hours. A Hong Kong-based company is developing the concept in the Gulf, with hotels offering six and 12-hour stays already established in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, and a Muscat hotel that […] June 9, 2024
Video length: 04:30 VIDEO Retail Oman’s Amouage outgrows ‘overdeveloped’ GCC market Amouage, the Omani luxury perfume brand, now counts the United States as its biggest revenue generator after three years of continued growth, says Renaud Salmon, the company’s creative officer. Founded in 1983 by the Albusaidi family, Amouage recorded annual growth of 24 percent in 2023, with global retail sales doubling over the last three years. […] June 9, 2024
Video length: 05:11 VIDEO Tourism Oman must be ‘faster’ to grasp tourism opportunities Oman needs to be “faster” to react to regional tourism opportunities and market itself more effectively to attract more visitors to the country, according to the sultanate’s industry leaders. Tourism grew by 12 percent in the first quarter of the year, figures released by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism show. Total revenues of 3-to-5 […] June 6, 2024
Video length: 05:11 Opinion Trade Oman and UK remain firm friends in uncertain times Britain is well positioned to lend knowledge-based services and training June 5, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Overseas real estate talent takes on Omani bureaucracy Oman’s bid to develop its expanse of beaches, mountains and deserts means it needs to attract overseas real-estate expertise, but recent government restrictions are hindering its ambitions. In May Club Med said it would build its first Middle Eastern resort in Musandam. Abu Dhabi developer Eagle Hills is nearing the opening of its Mandarin Oriental-flagged […] June 2, 2024
Aviation Oman seeks investors for new low-cost airline Oman plans to launch a new low-cost airline amid a global tourism rebound and the continued expansion of the Gulf state’s aviation sector. In a post on the social messaging platform X (formerly Twitter), the country’s civil aviation authority (CAA) announced an investment opportunity for a new low-cost airline operator in the sultanate. No further […] May 29, 2024
Economy Oman to use budget surplus to repay nearly $3bn debt Oman is expected to repay nearly $3 billion in external debt in the first half of 2024, driven by the budget surplus from high oil prices, Fitch Ratings said in a new report. The resulting 10 percent decline in external debt from the end of 2023 is faster than forecast last September. The rating agency affirmed the Gulf state’s […] May 27, 2024
Analysis Markets Bahrain tops dividend yields in mixed quarter for bourses First-quarter company earnings in the UAE, Bahrain and Oman were mixed across major economic sectors, with the four bourses trading at markedly varied valuations. As of March 31, Dubai and Bahrain had price-to-earnings ratios of 8.3 and 7.9 respectively, while Abu Dhabi’s was 19.9 and Oman’s 12.9, according to Kuwait’s Kamco Invest. Bahrain (7.7 percent) […] May 27, 2024
