Gotowa bibliografia na temat „Oman's tourism industry”

The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to cripple the tourism sector globally. The Omani tourism sector is not an exception. However, there are no empirical studies focusing on how Oman’s tourism sector has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to analyze the economic effect of COVID-19 on Oman’s tourism sector. The study sought to achieve three specific objectives, namely, to find out the economic effect of COVID-19 on the number of tourists visiting Oman, to analyze the variations in the amount of tourism into Oman since the COVID-19 became a global health threat and to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies that Oman is implementing to cushion the tourism sector from the economic effects of COVID-19. A secondary data methodology was adopted, which involved collection and analysis of data from already published sources. Inclusion/exclusion criteria of relevance, up-to-date and author credibility were used to select the sources of information to be used. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed. Findings from the study revealed that COVID-19 has orchestrated the decline in the performance of Oman’s tourism industry. There has been increased unemployment, reduced incomes and falling consumer purchase power. It is recommended that the Oman government develop and implement policies that reduce tax burden on tourist organizations and give tourist firms stimulus packages to cushion the sector from collapsing due to the effects of COVID-19.

The tourism sector is a service sector that contributes significantly financially to the country's economy. Maluku province has tourism potential. Including a tourist attraction in Oma village, one of the villages in Central Maluku district, Ambon City, Maluku Province. This research is a multi-year study (4 years) and aims to: 1. create a profile and mapping of tourist objects, 2. create easy access and facilities, 3. implement integrated marketing communications and digitization of tourism marketing and 4. collaborate on tourism marketing in Oma village with Maluku tourism & investment industry. For the first year of research, the research objective is number 1, which is to create a profile and mapping of tourist objects in Oma's Country. This type of research is applied research and qualitative methods.

Abstract Objectives: To identify the economic, social, and geopolitical impacts of the Corona pandemic on the country’s tourism industry; to identify ways to enhance domestic tourism so as to increase income in the Oman’s tourism industry which has since been declining; to identify specific travel destinations and associated recovery plans; and to suggest recommendations on the best approaches to improving the Oman tourism sector. Methodology: The research involved collection of primary data using interviews where opinions and perceptions of Omani tourism industry experts were collected regarding economic, social, and geopolitical impacts of the Corona pandemic on the country’s tourism industry; the rationale of lifting travel restrictions and the ways of increasing traveller confidence amidst the uncertainties and fears associated with Covid-19 in Oman; ways to enhance domestic tourism so as to increase income in the Oman’s tourism industry which has since been declining; and recommendations on the best approaches to improving the Oman tourism sector. Findings: The main impacts of coronavirus on Omani tourism industry include loss of revenue and reduction in hotel and occupancy rate. These effects resulted into massive job losses, unpaid leave and pay cuts amongst employees in the country’s tourism industry. The measures to be taken to enhance recovery of the tourism industry were categorized into two: government measures and business measures. Value added: With the multiple adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the tourism sector, this study will help in establishing the potential measures of fostering the positive outcomes in the sector. Recommendations: Setting aside COVID-19 recovery financial kitty; Increasing the frequency of marketing the country as the preferred and the best tourist destination in the world in both local and international media; Public-private partnerships; and encouraging domestic tourism by offering discounts and incentives for the locals enjoying the country’s tourism facilities. Offering discounted rates and fees; adopting a flexible booking policy; cancelling or waiving all the fees and fines that were charged on customers who cancelled or amended their bookings as result of COVID-19 pandemic; offering attractive discounts to clients who want to re-book their previous cancelled bookings without conditions; and diversification of operations.

Although a vast majority relates the concept of ‘halal’ or what is permissible in Islam to food only. However, halal industry covers many sectors such as food, fashion, transport, finance and even tourism. Halal tourism is not just about halal food, it is also about the overall experience, which is amenable with the Shariah (Islamic jurisprudence). Oman has a plethora of natural beauty and many places of interest for all types of tourists. It is one of the most secure and peaceful countries in the world. Having a well-developed Infrastructure, Oman is ready to take its tourism to new heights. The ever-hospitable Omanis are proud of their rich cultural and historical heritage. Thus, Oman appears to have all what it takes to become a prime destination for halal tourism. The objective of this study is to assess the prospects of Oman as a destination for halal tourism. Based on the interviews of experts like academicians, tourism professionals, officials and clerics, Oman’s competitiveness as a destination for halal tourism was assessed by developing a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) profile. The findings of the SWOT were compared with the data from the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) from the year 2014 to 2018. Based on the analysis, Oman is found to have the right mix of environment and enabling services for halal tourism. However, it is found lacking in public transport, communication and customer outreach. Oman is also found to be losing its rank among the top 10 destinations for halal tourism to close competitors like Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, etc. The concerned authorities need to make conscious efforts to resolve these issues as it becomes imperative for Oman to revamp its tourism strategy. JEL codes: Z31, M31

Purpose This paper aims to assess receptiveness for Tourism and Hospitality as a career path among students in the Tourism Department of Sultan Qaboos University (College of Arts and Social Sciences), located in the Sultanate of Oman. The following objectives were identified to achieve this aim: assess respondents’ perceptions of tourism and hospitality employment; respondents’ tourism and hospitality employment commitment factors; and respondents’ perceptions of tourism and hospitality jobs. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data and measure respondents’ perceptions of the subject under investigation. Survey questions were developed from the literature reviewed which provided the framework for the questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises four different question categories: general information; students’ general perception of tourism and hospitality employment; and tourism and hospitality employment commitment factors; students’ perceptions of tourism and hospitality jobs. Data were tested for normality of distribution; then, means were used for data description and ranking; thereafter, the independent-samples t-test and analysis of variance were conducted to test for significance between groups of respondents; the level of significance used was p ≤ 0.05. Findings The paper revealed that nearly 41 per cent of the students will continue working in tourism and hospitality for some time. For them, working in the industry is a step on the way, but is not a career path. Only 21.6 per cent are willing to consider tourism and hospitality as their long-term chosen career path. Tourism and hospitality students’ perceptions of the industry tend to be negatively affected as they progress in their study plan. Commitment to employment in Tourism and Hospitality is shaped by four major interrelated factor categories: industry, personality, education and society. The Omani tourism and hospitality industry was not able to project an image that could generate interest among Omanis. Consequently, very few graduates join the Tourism and Hospitality job market, leading to shortages in Omani workers in the industry. The major drawback of such trend is the inability to achieve the Omanization planned figures. Originality/value The findings are intended to assist tourism and hospitality educators, employers and policymakers better understand students’ future employment intentions.

Oman is an emerging destination for green tourism, its slogan “beauty has an address”, illuminates its attempt to brand itself as a destination for unique, cultural and environmental attractions. Oman’s heritage is promoted along-side its natural beauty. As the hospitality sector in the capital city “Muscat” plans to expand and scale up its demographic to attract more high-end tourists as well as the overall volume of tourists it welcomes, this study aims (1) to explore to what degree hotels in the capital city “Muscat” recognizes the environmental impacts of their economic choices, (2) to determine which of the numerous environmental considerations are most widely adopted, and finally, (3) to highlight some perspectives from policy makers and major tourism stakeholders in Oman about current sustainability trends and future goals regarding environmental management. While the Sultanate has conducted a number of government studies of general tourism statistics, more effort is being exerted to ambitiously bring international tourists ‘attention to visit Oman. Given the paucity of literature on tourism in Oman, and Omani government’s commitment to a sustainable path of development, this study seeks to supplement the existing work on “green” and “environmentally conscious” tourism by focusing on this country of great and ambitious sustainable tourism development plans with applications on its capital city “Muscat” growing hospitality industry.

Tourism economy has enhanced the employment opportunities in Oman and lot of new tourism projects are coming up throughout the country. The awareness among the Omani public has to improve to consider a future in the tourism industry. The study is attempted to understand the satisfaction level of international tourists in Oman, the factors that affects tourism and the challenges faced by the tourists. The responses were collected from 111 foreign tourists visited Oman. It was found that majority of the tourists are from France, Germany, Italy and Britain. International tourists are satisfied by the friendliness and openness of Omanis, culture and customs and have a safe feeling of security to travel in Oman. The challenges faced by foreign tourists include difficulty in language, GPS connection, lack of Wifi connectivity, problems in walking alone, more time at the airport to exit, time for visa processing, bad driving, expensive ticket charges, taxi and hotel charges, crowded and traffic jam and language difficulties.

Purpose This exploratory research opens a new avenue of tourism destination enquiry for Dhofar Governorate, Oman. It examines the relationship between the food tourism landscape in the country’s southernmost region and the Government’s stated economic development goals. Tourism is a new industry here and in need of sustainable development. The purpose of this paper is to identify how the natural and human resources of the region may be harnessed to expand food tourism pathways and achieve sustainable economic development e.g. maximising stakeholder benefits. Design/methodology/approach The literature review highlights many new developments in food tourism for this baseline study. Qualitative and quantitative (i.e. mixed) methods are used including a case study, a pilot survey of key Government stakeholders in Oman’s Ministry of Tourism, food factory tours and interviews with their executives in Dhofar, direct and participant observation at food establishments and events, visits to popular roadside and market food stalls in Salalah and tourism trend analysis. Findings Some recent trends in food tourism elsewhere may be adapted in Salalah and spark interest in the food culture and heritage of Dhofar. This, in turn, may bring multiple benefits to the destination’s stakeholders. The governorate’s environment yields a rich variety of agricultural and other food products that may be used to provide new forms of food tourism and increase the region’s appeal to tourists beyond the Khareef season. Further possible benefits include safeguarding local food knowledge, production, culture and heritage, developing SMEs, creating new jobs and increasing visitor stay and spend. Research limitations/implications The study is conducted solely in English, whereas Arabic is the mother tongue in Oman. Dhofar is the country’s largest governorate occupying a vast area, not all of which is covered by the study. More data are needed to inform tourism development, policymaking and planning in Dhofar. Practical implications Improving tourism’s sustainability profile, creating successful food tourism products and services and achieving Dhofar’s economic development goals require concerted effort. All are in the best interest of the tourism stakeholders concerned. Social implications This paper provides a foundation for future research on this topic. It highlights the importance of placing food tourism development on a sustainable footing to protect and preserve Dhofar’s unique food culture, heritage, traditions and environment, extend the main tourism season and maximise benefits to stakeholders. Originality/value Recent trends in food tourism are investigated to gauge their applicability in this dynamic region of Oman. Ideas are presented demonstrating possible food tourism pathways to sustainable economic development that benefit a wide range of stakeholders e.g. food tours, food factory tours and shops, food festivals and cookery-school holidays and/or classes.

The Special Economic Zone Duqm (SEZD) in Oman is the largest special economic zone in the Middle East and North Africa Region allowing it to host various big projects. To ensure that the area is fit for a wide number of business activities to meet the needs of investors, area is divided into eight main areas: the heavy-medium and light industries complex, the port, the ship dry dock, the oil refinery, the tourism area, the logistic services area, the regional airport, and the residential/commercial area. SEZD has many competitive advantages to be a logistic and marine hub for Arab countries outside Strait of Hormuz. It is a hub for advanced petrochemical industry, manufacturing industry, fish industry and aquaculture projects, logistics services, educational institutions and tourism. For those seeking peace of mind and tranquility, Duqm is an ideal destination where it combines the natural beauty of the region and the modest climate around the year. SEZD provides many incentives for investors such as: exemption from profit tax for up to 30 years and renewable for similar period, 100% freehold by foreigners, easy recruitment of manpower, and imports of raw materials into the zone are tax-free. These facilities and incentives give SEZD a competitive advantage. SEZD is an ideal example of an integrated economic development zone. Government of Oman is trying to achieve the following national objectives from establishing such economic zone: first, economic diversification; second, sustainable economic growth; third, securing job opportunities; fourth, balancing Oman’s regional development; finally, increase private sector contribution to GDP.

A critical understanding of stakeholders' involvement in destination tourism planning and development, and the factors that influence their perceptions, opinions and involvement in the decision-making process and evaluation of the destination competitive strategies, is not only important for tourism destination planners and managers, but also for the host community's support for tourism development and the destination's competitiveness. It has been widely recognised that tourism destinations need to plan their development strategies to succeed internationally and gain a sustainable competitive advantage. However, there is scant empirical evidence that addresses approaches in which stakeholder participation in the planning process contributes to destination competitiveness. This study examines the interrelationships between various destination-specific situational factors, including economic, social, political, environmental, and cultural factors, community participation, community attachment, and impact on the development of the Sultanate of Oman's tourism resources and attractions, and in turn the support of its competitive strategies. Furthermore, it investigates potential effects of those interrelationships on the government's initiatives in formulating and implementing tourism development, management and marketing policies/strategies. The key objective is to develop and empirically test a conceptual framework of tourism destination competitiveness that focuses on a stakeholder's perspective of Oman, and investigates the interrelationships between its constructs. Such an approach echoes the stakeholder perspective of 'Third Way' tourism planning suggested by Burns (2004). This study utilises social exchange and stakeholder theory. Accordingly, the research problem is: How does the interrelationship between destination-specific situational factors, stakeholders' perceived power (community participation), and community attachment, impact on the development of Oman's tourism resources and attractions, and in turn the support of its competitive strategies? Furthermore, what effects may those interrelationships have on the government's approaches in formulating and implementing tourism development and marketing policies? A four-step methodological approach including qualitative and quantitative methods was applied. Following research refinement and pilot studies, a total of 987 usable questionnaires were collected from Omani stakeholders using a convenience and quota sampling method. The final empirical results were submitted to three focus groups in Oman for elucidation and confirmation of results, with a particular focus on the practical implications. The hypotheses testing indicated that tourism stakeholders' preferences about tourism resources and attractions development are a function of socio-cultural impacts, economic impacts, and community participation. Furthermore, the results highlighted a strong link between stakeholders' preferences about tourism resources and attractions and support for competitive destination strategies such as destination marketing efforts and activities, and sustainable destination management and practices. Additionally, empirical results supported the existence of a relationship between community participation and community attachment constructs; however this relationship was somewhat negative. The study also did not prove the existence of any relationship between community attachment and preferences about tourism resources and attractions development constructs. Furthermore, new findings that were not hypothesised indicated that tourism stakeholders who perceived socio-cultural and economic impacts were most likely to support further tourism development and competitive destination strategies. Additionally, stakeholders' attachment to their communities had a weak but positive effect on their perception about tourism's environmental impacts and sustainable destination management and practices. The focus group participants mostly confirmed the study's empirical findings with a few diverging opinions regarding some issues such as environmental impacts and mass tourism versus alternative tourism policies. Thus, the study's findings provided various theoretical and methodological contributions, closing the gap in the notions of destination competitiveness and stakeholders' active participation in tourism planning and development. As well, the practical implications of the study's findings could be adopted by Oman's tourism planning authorities to enhance the destination's competitiveness in the international tourism marketplace. This study is considered a personal effort. Thus, I used the first person 'I' throughout the study to express and reflect my personal work. The use of 'I' in research is not an unacceptable notion, however, it is recommended that the researcher not take cover behind using 'we' or the 'researcher' in his/her work (Gummesson, 2000, p.xi).

The purpose of this thesis is to understand the experiences and meanings of tourism employment for Muslim women in the Middle East, including the positive and negative aspects of this form of employment. The study was conducted in Oman, which was the research site and cultural setting for this study. The theoretical paradigm that guided this study was social constructionism. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was also used for this study in order to interpret and analyze the collected data into themes. A combination of convenience sampling and snowball technique was used to recruit participants for the interviews, resulting in a total of 9 interviews being conducted with local Muslim women working in the Oman tourism industry. The data were collected through open-ended interviews conducted face to face, using a semi structured interview format. The analysis process led to the development of seven themes. The seven main themes related to finding work in the tourism field, facing negative attitudes, challenges of tourism work, dealing with negative attitudes and challenges, the importance of tourism work in women lives, an expanded vision of tourism work, and implications for social change. The study revealed that the idea of women’s tourism work as exploitation is complex and multi-layered in Oman. Although there were some indicators of exploitation for the Omani tourism workers in this study, this form of work was also shown to be a source of benefits and form of empowerment for women. Further, the study revealed that tourism employment could also be seen as a site for women’s resistance, particularly for Muslim women seeking to change attitudes towards women, and to create a new society.

Tourism industry is the largest industry world wide and is the main source of economic development of countries like Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai. It is also the main source of income generation for countries like Mauritius, Spain etc. Oman being the second largest country in the Middle East possessing wealth of natural resources has everything to offer to the tourists. It has a long coastline with pristine beaches, beautiful mountains, and world’s best deserts with rolling sand dunes. With breath taking Khareef festival of Salalah, Musundam in the Khasab region which is referred to as Norway of Arabia and Bhala with its forts and castles being listed in the UNESCO world heritage monuments, Oman is one among the best ten countries of the world for tourists to travel (International Travel Magazine). This chapter attempts to review the strategic approach adopted for tourism development, gives the SWOT analysis for the tourism industry and discusses the emerging trends of tourism and related sectors like hospitality, travel and aviation, training and education with special reference to Sultanate of Oman.

Tourism industry is the largest industry world wide and is the main source of economic development of countries like Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai. It is also the main source of income generation for countries like Mauritius, Spain etc. Oman being the second largest country in the Middle East possessing wealth of natural resources has everything to offer to the tourists. It has a long coastline with pristine beaches, beautiful mountains, and world’s best deserts with rolling sand dunes. With breath taking Khareef festival of Salalah, Musundam in the Khasab region which is referred to as Norway of Arabia and Bhala with its forts and castles being listed in the UNESCO world heritage monuments, Oman is one among the best ten countries of the world for tourists to travel (International Travel Magazine). This chapter attempts to review the strategic approach adopted for tourism development, gives the SWOT analysis for the tourism industry and discusses the emerging trends of tourism and related sectors like hospitality, travel and aviation, training and education with special reference to Sultanate of Oman.

Most Middle Eastern countries are geographically located in arid or semi-arid climatic conditions. Agricultural practices have not been impressive in achieving sustainability in these countries. With the changing geopolitical undercurrents, these countries with the GCC countries as part of the Middle East are facing fluctuating economies as the oil price has become fragile and unstable. Oman's economy is heavily depending on hydrocarbons, and looking at other contribution sectors is necessary. The contribution from the agricultural sector is comparatively insignificant, but it explicitly diversified arid cropping systems and unique to the country. The agricultural production activities are often done with unique cultural practices, and this sector can be attractive to tourists. The tourism industry is considered a potential sector for boosting the economy that is aligned with Oman Vision 2040 strategy. This paper aims to investigate the potential of agritourism in different regions in Oman for adoption as a new venture. Different agricultural sites and products for promoting agritourism are selected for the study. The farm characteristic and activities at different agricultural sites are identified. The prediction number of agritourists and the farm income are calculated. The results of this study show that the selected agricultural sites in this study indicated highly potential for agritourism. Salalah is the best agritourism destination with predicated annual agritourists 188,000 and US$5 m of farm income. Agritourism would assist in achieving agricultural sustainability through product value-addition, which would open access to global markets and improve the livelihood of farmers

A large number of containers (approximately 1500 containers) are fallen over board annually due to different reasons such as encountering heavy weather, collision with the other vessels or grounding which consequently cause serious problems and difficulties such as: (1) Endangering the safety of navigation, reducing the depth of the channels, (2) Damaging the environment (rocks, coral), (3) Endangering the life of fishes and underwater species, (4) Pollution, as numbers of containers are loaded with dangerous chemicals, (5)Debris washing up beaches making beaches dirty endangering environment and tourism industry, (6) Damaging the fishermen nets, (7)Wasting a lot of time and manpower, including the use of highly technical equipment, to find and recover them and (8) Unnecessary additional costs to the ship owners/charterers.The containers are loaded on the container ships/general cargo vessels by calculating several factors such as: stability of the vessel, lashing requirements of containers,stack loads, dangerous good compliance with International Maritime dangerous Good code (IMDG), wind effect, minimum visibility. A bay plan is the plan which describes the position of all containers on board a ship, whether inside cargo holds or on top of the hatch covers. It has come to author’s mind of fitting a tracking device outside the container. The proposed device can be named"Container Automatic Tracking System (CATS)".