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Paper is about Tourism Development in Oman is a diverse sector that affects the growth and development of country.

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Tourism Development in Oman

Introduction

Background

Tourism is a diverse sector that affects the growth and development of country. The tourism lays a positive impact on the country’s economy. The tourism sector allows creation of job opportunities and increases the possibility of social and economic welfare. Besides, being advantages on social, economic, environmental factors, tourism increases the welfare, allow the country to grow and initiate the establishment of advancement and revive its culture. The purpose of tourism is to conduct activities beyond the binaural perception and create a world of higher economy and rich cultural diversity attracting foreign nationals. Oman is rich in its culture and economy and is developing since 2000s and is expected to lead the industrial sector.  Muscat holds the centre of attraction in relation to tourism in Oman and is considered the second best city for tourist spot. The various tourist attractions in Oman are museums, markets, fort, cultural events, beach activities adventure and desert safaris.

Research question

What are the challenges government is facing in the development of the tourism in Oman?

How the government can develop tourism industry?

Rationale

Development of tourism sometimes results in negative and positive impacts and generates competitive disadvantage. It is important for Oman to have an understanding regarding its cities, attractions, heritage and culture and develop the activities that influence the foreign nationals and integrate the welfare of the country. Being one f the leading tourist spot with people visiting from all over the world, the government face several challenges that need proper examination and articulation. The study determines the driving elements and sector of tourism towards economic growth and the ways Oman will be developing its tourism focusing on safety, ensuring the contribution of domestic tourism, contribution of government, solidarity and subverting the challenges.

Literature review

Research review on challenges government is facing in the development of the tourism in Oman

Muscat is the eye of Oman that attracts millions of tourist across the world towards its forts, adventure and events. Oman being one of the listed tourist spot has major challenges to take care.  Muscat being the central attraction, it is important for the government to ensure that the city is well organised, clean, and improvise the transport facilities. In order to have tour in Oman the tourist need to have visa prior to travel. There is the benefit of travelling to Oman without any visa limit by member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Henderson, 2015). There are around sixty nine nations and group of countries who needs to apply that needs the permission over visa for tourism that can be availed only for thirty days. However, the passport can be extended in validity for six months. Oman’s main attraction is its beaches, desert safari and caving. The beaches and resort hotels are located on the coast areas of Muscat that provides beautiful scenic view and allow sunbathing, snorkelling, fishing, surfing and boating. Such resort arrangement becomes the centre for attraction who loves the adventure (Henderson, 2015). On the other hand desert safari is an amazing tour of Wahiba sands through cars and have beautiful arrangements of camp, where tourist can stay for nights that includes, camp fire, camel travel, jeep drive, sunset and sunrise view, cultural event, barbecues and sand boarding. Another major attraction is the Al-Yarubi dynasty that existed from 1624 to 1744 (AlRiyami et al.  2017). The Muscat Festival that is organised in the months of January and February exhibits traditional Omani lifestyle that is rich in art and culture that is associated with various events like circus and street theatre that appeal to the tourist. The major attractions of Oman tourism is its safety and security, heritage sites, Arabian experience, natural view, diverse landscapes, modern cities, hospitality and management and high standard of services.

In Muscat, the major challenges are difficulties at immigration, poor transport system for there are unprofessional drivers and lack of interest of the nations in developing its tourism. Oman’s tourism sector is a diverse platform that seeks to limit the risk in the sector and if addressed properly, Muscat and other cities will speed up development fostering national growth. Several research works has taken pace concerning the presentation of challenges and the ways it can be overcome. The few challenges are immigration, promotion and transport that need special attraction. Under the Ministry Of tourism in Oman, email campaign was initiated surveying more than four hundred questions. These questions were distributed among one hundred fifty tourists and tourist-governing organisation that serves to provide feedback that was helpful for the department of tourism to assess the issues. These questions were scrutinised and reviewed by the government agencies in introducing new road maps, new strategies and possibilities, delivering long-term strategic implications, assign project under the supervision of tourism consultant. The Ministry of Tourism has advocated new parameters in the tourism sector and fostered new ways of developing heritage sites and additionally maintaining eco-tourism infrastructures. The cities are being monitored against cleanliness (Al-Badi et al.  2017).  The tourist hotels have been developed with better facilities and additional efforts is being made towards betterment of environment structures. Muscat and Oman is undergoing non-availability skilled experts in different departments of tourism. The departments of tourism in Oman are hotel managers, hotel guides, local workforce, training local staff, translator, professional tour guides, underwater guides and others. Therefore, there s a rise in employment rates for Oman need skilled and well-experienced practitioner who will be able to monitor the tourism sector and be able to develop the infrastructure, sites and local amenities (Kazak, 2017).

According to the statistics of December 2013, it is observed that more than eighteen thousand employees are working in this sector. The employees are group of diverse people and backgrounds that do not wholly account Omanians.  The employee team consist of 7,324 Omanis and 11,207 expatriates that reach to the employment percentage of 19 percent in this sector (Kazak, 2017). As per the sector structure there are sixty five percent of tour operators that are expatriates. It is only exceptional in tourism that has more number of expatriates while other sectors of Oman account for sixty percent and more percentage of the Omani employees (Woo et al. 2017). The tourism sector is of diverse population that needs proper training because it is the people through which the company will be able to foster international connection. One of the major challenges of Oman tourism sector is that it has lack of quality control and directorate that will help facilitating tourism. As per the study, there are licensing complications, passport issues, hotel quality and good expertise in the touring guide sector (Woo et al. 2017). The junior experts need to be trained under the human resource management team towards the tourism organisations.  The issues regarding hotel management, entertainment, transportation, cleanliness and quality need to be addressed regularly and be developed immediately (Chatty, 2016).  The major forts like royal opera house Muscat, Sultan Qaboos, Jebel Akhdar, Salalah and Bimah Sinkhole need to be maintained under the inspection of government. The forts act as the important site that need government inspection and becomes the responsibility towards maintenance and modification.

The ways through which government can develop tourism industry

Oman has recorded largest number of tourists from 2015 to 2017 and has able to create positive momentum. The momentum was created by unveiling plans using strategic measures towards the integration of international arrivals. In the similar way, Oman need to maintain the development of strategic tourism clusters throughout the coming years in facilitating growth across the country (Al-Badi et al.  2017).The sultanate is eager to deliver funds and resources in maintaining its reputation. The initiative need to be measured and implemented in building a luxury destination out of the existing rich heritage and activities and events.  In the coming years, it is the responsibility of government of Oman to create and boost the performance of new segments with the global cultural participation of people. The Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) need to associate with the tourism sector in building a cultural convention establishing academic conferences and exhibitions that will help prompted the nation’s tourism. Another way towards securing the tourism is to promote the awareness of ecotourism and the significance of travelling. Travel blogs need to be created by the travel experts and create a website of Oman travels and tourism and share it over social media channel that will help promoting the tourism (AlRiyami et al.  2017). The global attraction can be caught through blogs that gives detailed idea regarding facilities, hotel, package, travel and tourism.  The government need to facilitate the transport facility and allow creation of new travel packages that will help the tourist to travel safely with licensed driers and tour gives accompanying them (Oukil eta l. 2016). Without proper hotel, food quality and travel facility, there can be no development in sector of tourist. It is important for the government to inspect the hotel, spots, travel agencies, sites, tour guides and heir services and food arrangement so that ay change in the management can be amended quickly for Oman is experiencing tourism the whole years. Omani government need to create employment opportunity. It is observed that twenty percent of Omani population comprises the age group of 25. Employment among the youth population will help creating diverse platform of employment and foster contribution and awareness regarding tourism and help people in creating a clean and healthy environment the tourism sector seeks to increase the number of individuals from 500,000 by 2040 that will help filing the gaps in different departments and change the dynamism of tourism (Henderson, 2015). The experts, employees and staff need to be given specialised training in licensed training centres developing management and hospitality spurring growth.

Conclusion

In order to foster growth and development in tourism sector, Oman needs to have strong stakeholder and shareholder in enduring new developments, modifications and increase the employment structure. The growth in tourism will help in growth of welfare and economy. Oman increased need to grant multiple-entry tourist visas only for specific nationals motivating growth in numbers of tourists. There visa extension needs to be implemented that can be kept valid for more than three months with an allowance period f more than thirty days. The relaxation in visa will allow longer stay and motivate the visiting of people and generate tourist chain through recommendation. Tourist discount can be established that will allow higher concentration of tourists for Oman is known as niche, luxury travel destination. It gained its popularity fir its four star and five star hotels that accounts to fifty two percent of hotel. The tourism sector needs to formulate strategic decisions and problem-solving methods under the supervision of stakeholders. It is important to involve the stakeholders in the decision-making and work within team towards national growth and integration. The tourism sector needs to engage the stakeholder in terms of establishment of new activities, event, affirming strategic growth towards the growth and development of the national economy. The authorities attempts to emphasize on boosting the segments of visitors by promoting new destinations through different promotional values. The tourism sector is of diverse population that needs proper training because it is the people through which the company will be able to foster international connection. Oman needs to have regular control over its activities, events, roads, vehicles, hotels, amenities, and develop the cities and destination through national funds. It is estimated that by the year of 2030, Oman will be the leading tourist spot due to its cultural heritage that has histories associated since centuries that gives a rich tour and appeal to the academicians, scholars, students, people all over the world in facilitating growth. It becomes an extensive study of history of the sultanate, archaeological site that invites scholars, archaeologist, scientist and economist and academician all over the world that helps in promoting it its tourism.

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