Surge in Yemeni visitors to Oman

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• Tourists from Yemen more than double
• Total visitor numbers hit 2m
• Emiratis and Indians make up 45%

The tourism sector in Oman recorded a 5 percent year-on-year increase in visitors to 2 million visits in the first half of 2024, up from 1.9 million visits recorded over the same period in 2023.

Visitors from Yemen more than doubled, to just under 108,000, from 52,000 in the first half of 2023, Omani local news reported, quoting data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

Emiratis and Indians continued to dominate Omani tourism figures, making up 29 percent and 16 percent of visitors to Oman respectively.

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In the first half of 2024, more than 578,000 Emiratis visited the sultanate, up slightly on the year before, and 317,000 Indians made the trip, a small jump on the same period in 2023.

Visitors to Oman from Germany and the UK, however, dropped by more than 10,000 in total.

The overall increase in visitors meant more revenue for hotels and airlines. 

A total of 1,045,000 guests were recorded in the first half of 2024, a 10.7 percent increase year on year. Revenue generated by these hotels hit OMR120 million Omani ($311 million), an 8.6 percent increase on the first half of 2023.

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The number of international flights increased 7.5 percent year on year to 23,000, and the number of passengers on these flights grew by 10 percent to 3,000,000. 

Oman is carving itself a niche in regional tourism by focusing on nature and sustainability, according to Nils Heckscher, managing director and head of Africa for PKF hospitality.

He said in a recent AGBI column: “Oman is an ideal multi-location destination and already has tried and tested routes that lead from Muscat around the country and its many natural sites, featuring wadis, breathtaking mountain scenery, beaches and turtle breeding sites.”

“Oman has chosen to focus on more sustainable and ecologically friendly options. This is the right choice, and acts as a big differentiator to the competition.”