Oman ranked 67th in WEF tourism development index

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Muscat – In the 2024 edition of the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), a flagship index of the World Economic Forum, Oman has secured the 67th position among 119 countries.

The sultanate scored well in areas like tourism demand sustainability and safety and security, ranking 12th and 16th globally respectively.

Created in collaboration with the University of Surrey and with input from leading travel industry stakeholder organisations, the TTDI evaluates nations based on a set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the Travel & Tourism (T&T) sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country.

The sultanate also excelled in business environment, air transport infrastructure and ICT readiness, placing 36th, 45th and 49th respectively, highlighting its robust infrastructure that supports tourism growth.

Despite these strengths, Oman faces challenges in other key areas such as environmental sustainability and natural resources, where it ranks 114th and 83rd respectively. These dimensions suggest areas where continued focus and improvement could yield significant benefits for the country.

In the GCC, the highest ranked country is the UAE at 18th place, followed by Saudi Arabia 41st, Qatar 53rd, Bahrain 58th and Kuwait 96th.

Globally, the USA has been ranked first, followed by Spain, Japan, France and Australia, making the top five.

The index report highlighted that the Middle East and North African countries have implemented policies and invested substantial resources into developing T&T, often as a way to diversify economies away from oil and gas production.

‘In part, these efforts are reflected in broad increases in government T&T spending as a share of budgets, loosened visa requirements, improvements in the establishment and promotion of cultural resources and the highest regional average for T&T capital spending per employee in the index.’

The index recorded Oman tourism’s stable contribution to its GDP (US$2.23bn), maintaining a balance with its economic diversification efforts.

International tourist arrivals in the country reached 464,000 in 2023, with inbound tourism receipts totalling US$361.9mn, indicating a healthy interest in Oman’s offerings.