Muscat: Three and five-star hotels in Oman reported a nearly 100 percent increase in revenue during January 2022 with nearly 100,000 guests checking in to these establishments.

97,956 guests stayed in rooms in hotels rated between three and five stars, leading to revenues of OMR12.264 million, a 91.6 percent increase compared to January 2021.

The figures were shared by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and published by Oman News Agency (ONA).

Hotel occupancy rates rose 51.3 percent in January 2022, compared to the first month of 2021. Furthermore, 26,571 guests from Europe checked in to hotels in Oman, up from 3,584 guests in January 2021, reflecting a 641.5 percent increase in tourist numbers over the span of a year.

There was also a huge surge in the number of guests visiting from other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): 5,548 guests spent time at hotels in Oman in January 2022, compared to just 1,497 in January 2021. However, the number of Omani guests dipped by 25 percent, to 45,628 guests in January 2022, down from 60,759 the previous year.

Similarly, there were also drops seen in the number of guests from Asian countries: 9,223 guests from Asia stayed in three to five star hotels in Oman this January, down from 9,531 guests the previous year, reflecting a 3.2 percent dip. Guests coming from Oceania also rose slightly (3.4 percent), reaching 733 guests. 698 guests from Africa also checked in to hotels in Oman – an increase of 69.6 percent compared to January 2021. Guests holding other nationalities rose by 36.4 percent to reach 2,138 people in January 2022.

“We began seeing increased guest bookings in January, and as more and more countries around the world take decisions to scrap the need for PCR tests and other pre-travel requirements, we expect the numbers to go even higher soon,” said the manager of a hotel in Muscat.

“After two years of being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is great to see visitors take holidays once again.”