Cavendish Maxwell, a leading property and real estate consultancy, estimates that Oman’s annual hotel revenues will reach OMR297.3 (US$772m) in 2025. This is a new record and represents a 22% increase year-on-year. Oman’s hotels hosted 2.4 million guests in 2018, an increase of nearly 11% from 2024. According to Cavendish Maxwell’s latest analysis on Oman’s hospitality sector, the average occupancy rate grew by 13.6%, reaching almost 57%. The average room rate increased by 4.7% to almost OMR49 ($127), a rise of almost 4.7%. Oman opened 900 hotel rooms in 2025. This brings the total room inventory up to 36,800. In addition to 2,400 new rooms, 900 more are expected to be added to the market in 2027. Khalil al Zadjali said that Oman’s hospitality industry has entered the year with a strong momentum after a robust and record-breaking performance. We are now in the phase of sustained growth, backed by a more diverse mix of source markets and rising domestic demand. “While geopolitical developments in the region are important, Oman’s status as a culturally rich destination, coupled with proactive tourism campaigns, and continued infrastructure investments, is expected to support Oman’s appeal as a major destination for domestic and international travelers,” he added. ADVERTISEMENTOman welcomed under 15 million passengers in 2018, an increase of 2.8% over 2024. The year-round traffic was constant, but August was the busiest month, with 1.66 millions visitors pouring into Oman for the Khareef festival in Salalah. Muscat International Airport, which handled 13.2 million passengers in 2008 and 88% of the total traffic, remained Oman’s backbone for air connectivity. Salalah International Airport was the best performer among secondary hubs with passenger numbers increasing almost 10% to 1.7 millions. The research, which is focused on Oman’s hotels of 3-5 stars, also shows that there are 11,200 people working in the hotel industry. This represents an increase of 7.3% from a year ago. As the sector grows, new jobs are created. Omani nationals will account for more than 36% (up from 33.8%) of hotel guests in 2025. This is a significant increase over the 33.8% recorded the previous year. This highlights the growing importance of domestic tourism to the country’s hospitality industry. The number of European guests increased by 22%, to nearly 28%. Asian guests ranked third with 14.5%. Other source markets include GCC, Arab countries, Americans and Oceanians.
