The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on the Omani Tourism Sector

Abstract

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.