15/04/2026 02:20 AST
Statistical data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) up to the end of February 2026 recorded a slight decrease in the number of guests in classified hotels (3-5 stars). The total number of guests reached 439,287, compared to 455,733 guests during the same period in 2025, representing a decrease of 3.6 per cent.
Despite the drop in guest volume, hotel revenues recorded a significant increase of 18.5 per cent, reaching OMR 69,208,000 compared to OMR 58,379,000 during the same period last year. The hotel occupancy rate also showed improvement, rising from 67.6 per cent in February 2025 to 68.4 per cent in February 2026, a growth of 1.2 per cent.
The data revealed varying trends across different nationalities. There was a 5.3 per cent decrease in the number of Omani hotel guests, totaling 129,797. Guests from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries declined by 18.4 per cent to 22,396, while guests from other Arab countries fell by 11.6 per cent to 14,485. European guests, who make up a significant portion of the market, saw a marginal decrease of 0.5 per cent, totaling 172,072.
In contrast, certain international markets saw positive growth. The number of hotel guests from Asia rose by 4.5 per cent to 61,581, and guests from the Americas grew by 5.4 per cent to 16,911. However, guests from Africa decreased by 12.4 per cent to 2,798, and Oceania experienced a sharp decline of 46.9 per cent, with guest numbers falling to 5,165.
Times of Oman
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