New law to regulate Oman’s tourism sector

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Muscat: Salim Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, said that the new tourism law sets the general framework for organising the tourism sector, which, he said, is undergoing rapid development.

He added that the law was redrafted in a manner that accommodates the sector’s continuous growth without resorting to the continuous modification of the legislation itself.

In a statement to the press, the minister pointed out that the tourism law constitutes a shift forward in organising the sector and that the bylaw will be drafted in line with the government’s approach to build a regionally and globally competitive tourism sector.

The minister stressed that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism will take proper measures to implement the new tourism law to help consolidate Oman’s position as a leading sustainable tourism destination in the world.

He exhorted the departments concerned to utilise the new legal framework as a springboard to bolster diversity in the tourism industry’s sustainable development. Al Mahrouqi pointed out that the law consists of five chapters and 21 articles that provide legal instruments to improve the quality of tourism services.

He added that the law organises tourism activities, streamlines procedures and sets out appropriate frameworks to harness the benefits of tourist areas, tourism sites and the government’s lands offered for usufructuary investments that ensure the preservation of the country’s resources and ensuring their sustainability.

The minister affirmed that the legal instruments introduced by the law will help enhance the quality of tourism services and products and keep pace with the transformation that the sector is undergoing at all local, regional and international levels.