The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is expanding its overseas tourism representation offices to promote Oman, reach priority tourism markets, and enhance the competitiveness of the Omani tourism destination. This expansion is taking place alongside the continued growth of the direct air connectivity network.

The initiative is one of the main pillars of Oman’s tourism promotion strategy. It supports the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 by diversifying source markets and increasing the tourism sector’s contribution to the national economy.

The expansion coincides with the launch of three new direct air routes at the beginning of July, connecting Oman with Singapore, the Russian city of Sochi and the Indonesian city of Medan. The new routes reflect the integrated efforts of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and its aviation sector partners to strengthen direct air connectivity with target tourism markets.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism said the expansion is based on specialised marketing plans and market studies that analysed promising markets, identified priorities and aligned them with plans to expand overseas tourism representation. In May, the Ministry opened a tourism representation office for Southeast Asia covering Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, strengthening Oman’s presence in one of the world’s fastest growing travel and tourism regions.

As part of its efforts to strengthen its presence in these markets, the Ministry organised a media event with leading Singaporean media organisations to promote Oman’s tourism attractions, coinciding with the launch of Oman Air‘s flights to Singapore.

Saada bint Abdullah Al Harthi, Director of the Market Development Department at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, said performance indicators in the target markets confirm the effectiveness of the Ministry’s strategy to diversify tourism markets. She said visitor arrivals to Oman increased by 147% from the Russian market, 61% from the Indonesian market and 26% from the Singaporean market over the past year. These figures reflect the growing appeal of Oman as a tourism destination in these markets and highlight the importance of continued investment in tourism promotion and the expansion of direct air links.

She added that overseas tourism representation offices and direct air connectivity are two complementary pillars of the Ministry’s strategy to strengthen Oman’s presence in international markets and convert growing demand into sustainable tourism that supports the sector’s objectives.

The Ministry noted that the new air routes target markets with diverse visitor segments, including cultural, family, nature and adventure tourism. These align with Oman’s natural, heritage and cultural assets and contribute to diversifying tourism source markets, increasing visitor numbers and boosting demand for tourism services and facilities.

The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism affirmed that the continued expansion of the direct air connectivity network, together with the growth of overseas tourism representation offices, is a key pillar of its tourism promotion strategy. It also strengthens partnerships with airlines and travel companies, supports the growth of the tourism sector and increases its contribution to the national economy in line with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.