Oman records 10% rise in tourists

Tourism projects in the Sultanate have received a shot in the arm in a bid to boost tourism numbers. Ahmed bin Nasser bin Hamad al Mehrzi, minister of tourism, assured that development of Wadi Bani Khalid tops list of the tourism projects. These projects are expected to be developed during this year to promote the tourism services in different wilayats. The convergent has also allocated 11.5 million for the tourism projects, including development of Wadi Bani Khalid and Maritime Museum in Sur. This is as part of the plan to reduce dependence on oil and to exploit other resources in the country like tourism, agriculture and fisheries. Tourism’s contribution to the GDP was 2.4% last year. Al Mehrzi expects that the percentage will increase this year. As per statistics, visitors to the Sultanate increased in 2013 by 10% compared to 2012. Further enhancements in Wadi Bani Khalid will further boost these numbers in the sector. Source: Travel Daily