OMAN: Italians Getting Attracted To Tourist Sites In Oman

As per the latest official data, 32,000 Italians chose to spend their vacations in Oman, which is becoming an increasingly attractive tourist destination.

With Emirates launching its fourth Italian gateway, Bologna, tourism officials feel that the number will grow steadily in the coming months.

“We are expecting our outbound and inbound tourists from Oman to grow by 10 per cent with the introduction of a direct flight between Dubai and Bologna,” said Celso De Scrilli, Chairman of Bologna Welcome – the official tourism information service in the city.

Bologna Welcome promotes Bologna and its territory, by offering new opportunities to encourage and welcome national and international tourism. The airline is planning to connect tourists and businessmen from several Asian countries, including Oman to Bologna and to offer tourists from Europe the option of flying to the East though Dubai.

Unspoilt destination

Scrilli also said Oman is being recognised as a great tourist destination because of its rugged mountains and beautiful coastline. “I think it remains an unspoilt tourist destination,” he said.

Tourist agents, who sell Oman packages described it as a land of mountain springs, shifting sand dunes, lush orchards and spectacular wadis (valleys) with majestic castles, towering forts, falajs (irrigation conduits), frankincense trees, date palms and souqs (markets). “It is a must visit for all Italians,” one of them said.

According to official statistics, more than 50 million foreign tourists visit Italy every year, with the top destination being Veneto (more than 10 million) followed by Tuscany, Latium and Lombardy, with over 6 million each.

Emilia-Romagna, where Bologna is hosts almost 3 million tourists every year. “Worldwide, Italy is ranked 4th by the number of international visitor arrivals,” said Scrilli.

The Embassy of Italy in Muscat provides visas to Omanis wishing to travel to Italy. “In the last few years, many Omanis have visited Italy for tourism and about 4000 visas are released every year by our embassy,” according to an official of the Italian Embassy in Muscat.

The official also said that a special mention needed to be made for EXPO Milan 2015, which closed on October 31, and had received more than 21 million visitors. “It has been a huge success, to which our Embassy contributed by promoting and advertising it in Oman. During the six-month long exposition, the Omani pavilion alone was visited by more than 4 million visitors,” the official stated.