6,000 New Hotels Opened for Business in Oman in 2010

Tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman have significantly more options in choosing a hotel. In 2010, 6,000 new Oman hotels opened for business, bringing the Sultanate’s grand total to 16,000. The data was released by the organisers of an upcoming travel event in Dubai, Arabian Travel Market. This travel and tourism event exploring the business potential within the Middle East will run from May 2 to 5 at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Th event is one of the highlights of an ongoing promotion campaign of Oman and high-quality leisure and business tourism credentials, said Mark Walsh, group exhibition director of organisers Reed Travel Exhibitions.

‘Oman’s public and private sector has for some time realised the potential that Arabian Travel Market holds as a key vehicle for further enhancing its profile as a leading regional and international destination. We see it as an important event in helping to develop new ways of catering for an ever more demanding tourist,” Walsh said. “Regionally, billions of dollars is being invested in tourism infrastructure — Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates are all aggressively expanding their fleets and flying to new destinations, and oil prices are hovering around $100 per barrel.”

Targeting the business travel segment, Oman has also began construction of its $1 billion Oman Conference and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, its first international-standard conference venue and one of the biggest in the region. To support a higher influx of tourists, Oman’s major airports in Muscat and Salalah are undergoing extensive upgrades, followed by the construction of four new regional airports. The airport upgrades are also boosting the operations of the national air carrier, Oman Air.

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