Saturday 02 / May / 2026
Muscat: The number of guests in classified hotels (3 to 5 stars) in the Sultanate of Oman declined by 5.9 percent by the end of March 2026, reaching around 571,970 guests compared to 607,476 during the same period in 2025, according to data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.
Despite the decline in visitor numbers, hotel revenues recorded an 8.4 percent increase, rising to OMR85.423 million compared to OMR 78.773 million in the corresponding period last year.
Occupancy rates also decreased, falling from 59.3 percent at the end of March 2025 to 56.1 percent at the end of March 2026, reflecting a 5.4 percent drop.
In terms of guest distribution by nationality, visitors from European countries ranked first with more than 206,000 guests, although this segment saw an 11.4 percent decline. Omani guests followed, recording growth of 3.1 percent to reach 176,707 guests, while visitors from Asia increased by 1.2 percent to 86,801 guests.
Guests from GCC countries totalled 32,412, marking a decline of 13.8 percent. Visitors from the Americas reached 21,663, showing a slight decrease of 0.1 percent, while guests from other Arab countries fell by 11 percent to 19,976.
Tourism from Oceania recorded the steepest decline of 51.7 percent, reaching 6,324 guests, while African visitors decreased by 15.3 percent to 3,882 guests.
The figures reflect mixed trends in Oman’s hospitality sector, with declining occupancy offset by higher revenues, indicating shifts in visitor spending patterns and market composition.
