The Sultanate has ranked 16th among the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization list.
The Sultanate was the only GCC and Arab country to appear in the list. Thanks to the Sultanate’s richness in cultural and archaeological tourist attractions, as well as the services offered to tourists. The number of tourists visiting the Sultanate increased from 891,000 in 2005 to 1.78 million visitors in 2015, a growth by 17 per cent compared to 2014 figure. As per the monthly bulletin issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information, the number of 3-5 star hotel guests stood at 964,956 by the end of October 2015.