Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

is a country on the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

. Tourism in Oman grew considerably during the 2000s, and a 2013 report predicted that it would become one of the largest industries in the nation. In 2019, Oman attracted about 4.1 million visitors from around the world, a massive increase from 3.1 million in 2017 as per the 2019 Tourism Statistic Bulletin from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), Oman. Oman has various tourist attractions, particularly within the realm of

cultural tourism Cultural tourism is a type of tourism in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the cultural attractions and products offered by a tourist destination. These attractions and products relate to the ...

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

was named the best city to visit in the world by American travel guide publisher

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

in 2012, and was chosen as the Capital of Arab Tourism of 2012.

Visa

Visitors to Oman must obtain a visa prior to travel unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. Citizens of member nations of the

Gulf Cooperation Council The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), also known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; ), is a Regional integration, regional, intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Ba ...

may travel to

without visa limits. Nationals of 69 other countries can apply for visa online which are valid for a period of 30 days. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

Statistics

Excluding the GCC states, the countries with the greatest number of passport holders visiting Oman in 2013 were:

Nature based activities

Beach activities

Oman's coast is lined with many beaches, with resort hotels on the coast west and east of Muscat. Activities including sunbathing, swimming,

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

, diving,

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

, boating and water scooters, surfing, beach combing, shell collecting and fishing excursions.

Kitesurfing

The daily

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

effect gives rise to reliable kitesurfing conditions. Centres can be found in Muscat, Al Sawadi Beach, Alzaiba Beach and on

Masirah Island Masirah Island (), also referred to as Mazeira Island, is an island off the east coast of mainland Oman in the Arabian Sea, and the largest island of the country. Administratively, it forms one of the five Provinces of Oman, provinces (''Wilaya ...

Desert safari

Camelback or four-wheel drive journeys into the Wahiba Sands and other desert areas are popular, sometimes incorporating stays in Barsti huts, barbecues, camel riding, sandboarding and visits to

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

communities.

Caving

The

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

rich sedimentary deposits of Oman's mountains have led to cave formation in many places. In 2008, the Ministry of Tourism issued a plan to develop Majlis al Jinn, the world's second largest cave, as a

show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

, after their first show cave, Al Hoota Cave, attracted 75,000 visitors in the first year of operation. There are caves which can be accessed by amateurs, like Muqal Cave in Wadi Bani and Khalid and in Baydiah in Ash Sharqiyah region, while others need considerable effort, training, experience and specialized equipment.

Historic and cultural locations

Markets

Omani souqs (markets) are popular with tourists, and are highly diverse with stalls selling handicrafts such as silver and gold artefacts and textiles. There are souqs in every Omani town, with the Ruwi and Muttrah Souqs the best known in Muscat.

Museums

Forts

Nearly every Omani city and town has a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, most of which were built, or had major expansions, during the Al-Yarubi dynasty between 1624 and 1744. Their purpose was as a refuge for the people and a last line of defense for the town. Forts were prepared to withstand long sieges with water wells, food storing capacity and secret tunnels ending many kilometers away from the walls of the fort. In times of peace they served as centres of governance, educational establishments or community facilities.

World Heritage Sites

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's International Heritage Preserve Programme Administration lists four elements of cultural significance in Oman.

Bahla Fort

Part of the capital of the Nabhani dynasty, who dominated Oman and prospered in the Arabian Peninsula during the late Middle Ages.

Archaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn

Remnants of settlements and necropolises from the 3rd millennium BCE. The necropolis of Bat reflects the funeral practices of the early Bronze Age.

Land of Frankincense The Land of Frankincense () is a site in Oman on the Incense trade route, Incense Road. The site includes frankincense trees, Khor Rori and the remains of a Caravan (travellers), caravan oasis, which were crucial to the medieval incense trade. T ...

Various sites were important in the production and distribution of

frankincense Frankincense, also known as olibanum (), is an Aroma compound, aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus ''Boswellia'' in the family (biology), family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality in ...

, which was once a sought-after item of luxury in antiquity, including the ancient ports of Khor Rori and Al-Baleed, and the caravan oases of Shisr and Wadi Dawkah

Falaj irrigation systems

Five

falaj A qanāt () or kārīz () is a water supply system that was developed in ancient Iran for the purpose of transporting usable water to the surface from an aquifer or a well through an underground aqueduct. Originating approximately 3,000 years a ...

s were inscribed in 2006 to represent an irrigation method dating back to at least 500 CE, and still used in most Omani towns and villages, that distributes water through gravity.

Cultural Events

Muscat Festival

The Muscat Festival is held annually in January and February. International exhibits and displays of traditional Omani lifestyle, art and culture are featured, with circus and street theatre productions are also a part of the event.

Salalah Festival

The Salalah Festival takes place in the months of July and August, when the area is cooler than elsewhere in the Gulf states, and is a family oriented event with cultural, traditional and modern artistic shows.

Cultural theatre program

The Ministry of Tourism organises a number of cultural evenings at the ancient Al Flayj Castle and Al Morooj theatres, hosting groups from around the world, from December to the end of March.

Sporting and adventure events

Horse and camel racing

From September to June, equestrian races organised by the Oman Equestrian Federation are held in various towns. Public events are staged at the royal stables in Seeb, while most breeders and trainers are based in the Al Kamil/Al Wafi region. Long distance camel races are held on specially built race tracks, normally on public holidays and during National Day celebrations. As with horse races, camel races are arranged by the OEF, although some regions organize their own local races.

Dubai–Muscat offshore sailing race

The Dubai–Muscat regatta takes place every January. Boats set sail from Dubai, passing through the Straits of Hormuz before heading towards Muscat and ending at the Bandar Al-Rawdah Marina.

Sinbad Classic

An international deep sea fishing contest, the Sinbad Classic is one of the IGFA World Championships qualifying rounds and takes place each April.

Oman Adventure

A five day endurance race held annually in November, each team consists of a runner and a cyclist and must manage the preparation and coordination of their own food and water and other supplies.

Oman International Rally

The Oman International Rally held annually in March, is one of the events that constitute the Middle East Rally Championship.

Bidiyah Challenge

A race to scale sand dunes held every February in Bidiya in Sharqiyah Region.

Tour of Oman

An annual professional

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...

stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a racing, race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day race, multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages ...

held in

since 2010 as part of the

UCI Asia Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

. Its stated goals are to promote cycling as a sport in Oman; to put Oman on the world stage as an attractive tourist destination; and stimulate trade and economic activity within the country.

Gallery

File:AlAlamMuscatPalace.jpg, Al Alam Palace, Muscat File:AlKhuwairMinistries.jpg, Al Khuwair - The two Khanjar's (left of image) mark the entrance to the Ministries Street which houses all the Ministries of Oman File:Muttrah Souq.jpg, Muttrah Souq File:DhowMuscat.jpg, Muscat Harbor - A traditional Omani Dhow lies anchored in the Muscat Harbor (World's largest natural harbor) File:MscatPort-SultanYach.jpg, Muscat Port - The Sultan's Yacht can be seen anchored at the Port. File:MUTRAHCORNICHE2.jpg, Mutrah Corniche File:MutrahMorning.jpg, Mutrah Corniche File:MuscatFortNight.jpg, The Muscat Fort (Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century) overlooks the Muscat harbor, Mutrah and the Al Alam Palace File:MuscatRiyamParkAtnight.JPG, Riyam Park - as seen in Amazing Race 9 - is very near to the Muscat Harbor File:MutrahDecor.JPG, The Mutrah Corniche was renovated to undo the destruction done by Cyclone Gonu File:MuscatClockTower.jpg, Muscat Clock Tower, MBD, Ruwi - It’s the oldest Monument in Modern Oman and showcases the Sultanate’s commitment to modernization File:MuscatBeachs.jpg, Beaches of Oman along with its cliffs attracts tourists from all over the world File:QantabBeach.JPG, Qantab Beach File:ShattiBeachMuscat2.JPG, Qurum Beach - Crowne Plaza Muscat can be seen in the distance (on the cliff-top) File:MuscatRoadGate.jpg, Muscat Municipality works continuously to beautify the city. Such gates dot roads around Muscat and showcase the traditional roots of the Sultanate File:MUSCATYACHTCLUB.jpg, Muscat Boat Club File:RuwiEvening.jpg, Ruwi - The Commercial hub of Muscat includes a massive marketplace - The Ruwi High Street File:Wadi Tiwi (4).jpg, Wadi Tiwi File:Dolphins Oman.JPG, Watching

spinner dolphin The spinner dolphin (''Stenella longirostris'') is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which it rotates around its longitudinal axis as it leaps through the air. It is a ...

s in the

Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ''khalīj ʿumān''; ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ''khalīj makrān''; ''daryâ-ye makrān''), is a gulf in the Indian Ocean that connects the Arabian Sea with th ...

References

External links

Oman Tourism Portal
{{Tourism in Asia