Tourism

With Muscat having been named the Arab Tourism Capital for 2012 and the country becoming increasingly popular with visitors from around the globe, Oman’s tourism sector is gaining attention from local and international investors who are building new hotel and property developments. To go along with the accommodation offerings, there is also a need for additional entertainment and leisure facilities to fill niche markets and create demand.

Negotiations to buy a large share of a regional airline with Sarawak could boost Sabah’s domestic tourism sector by bringing in increasing numbers of tourists.

Work to build on the emirate’s reputation as a tourist destination by easing visa regulations and encouraging cruise tourism is under way but there are concerns that the European debt crisis and uncertainty regarding the global economic climate have the potential to weaken demand.

With the 2015 target date by which Mongolia hopes to welcome 1m visitors per year drawing nearer, officials are calling on the government to channel investment into the country’s tourism industry and take specific steps to encourage greater private sector participation.

Boosting growth in the tourism sector is high on the government’s agenda for 2012, and country officials are working to display the country’s myriad entertainment offerings in a variety of high-profile events even amidst ongoing regional instability.

Plans by major cruise tourism companies to include Papua New Guinea (PNG) on their itineraries and a joint marketing initiative with a northern Australian region have provided an important boost to PNG’s expanding tourism industry.