„Beauty has an address“, says the official tourism slogan of Oman and it couldn’t be more accurate. Thanks to its rich history and an impressive variety of landscape combined with strategic efforts by the Omani tourism authorities, Oman has gradually opened itself to international tourism over the past ten years. Since 2010 the revenues generated by tourism in the country’s GDP have been growing steadily; in 2017 they amounted to 2.2 billion dollars or 3.2% of the GDP. It became a very popular destination for upper and upper-middle-class Western tourists. In 2017, 20% more French and 41% more Germans arrived compared to 2016. Efforts have been made to make that possible. For example, obtaining a visa without any reservation is no longer a problem for a large majority of Western nationals. Although Omani officials plan to further develop the tourism industry, they are well aware of the possibility of massive and uncontrollable arrivals to the country that would potentially threaten the discretion and Islamic morals that a Gulf country like Oman implies. The search for the right balance is yet to be resolved.
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