The number of guests staying at three- to five-star hotels in Oman reached 992,009 by the end of June 2026, marking a 13% decline compared to the same period in 2025, when the number stood at 1,140,086, according to the latest data.
The data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) also showed that total hotel revenues fell by 12.3% to RO124.177 million, down from RO141.520 million during the corresponding period in 2025, said a Oman News Agency report.
Hotel occupancy declined to 46.3%, compared to 54.6% in the same period last year, representing a 15.3% relative decrease.
Meanwhile, the number of Omani guests increased to 395,659 guests, up from 383,783 during the corresponding period in 2025.
According to the data, European visitors remained the largest group of non-Omani hotel guests during the first half of 2026, totalling 246,603 guests. They were followed by Asian guests with 162,978, and visitors from the GCC countries with 69,289 guests.
The number of guests from other Arab countries reached 41,090, while American guests totalled 30,546. Visitors from Oceania numbered 9,644, and African guests reached 6,969 guests during the same period.
Sector sees growth in Al Buraimi
Meanwhile, the hotel and tourism sector in Oman's Al Buraimi Governorate recorded remarkable growth this year, with the number of licensed hotel establishments rising by 18 percent — an increase of 8 establishments compared to previous years.
The increase brought the total number of licensed hotel and tourism establishments in the governorate to 47 across various classifications.
Humaid Rashid Al Zaidi, Director of the Heritage and Tourism Department in Al Buraimi Governorate, told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the increase in the number of hotel establishments contributed to boosting the capacity of the governorate's hotel sector and helped address room shortages that used to occur during tourist seasons and official occasions.
He explained that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is working to diversify the classifications of hotel establishments to suit various categories of visitors and residents, and to meet the growing demand for hotel and tourism services.
He indicated that the licensed hotel establishments in the governorate are distributed among three tourist resorts with ratings ranging between two and four stars, six hotels with one-star and two-star ratings, alongside 14 standard hotel apartment establishments, 10 licensed green lodges located among farms, 12 guesthouses, and one luxury tourist camp with a one-star rating.
He pointed out that these establishments are distributed between the wilayats of Al Buraimi and Mahdah, with the Wilayat of Mahdah comprising one tourist resort, one luxury camp, 5 green lodges, and 3 guesthouses, while the Wilayat of Al Buraimi includes two tourist resorts, 6 green lodges, 9 guesthouses, and one tourist rest house.
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