The Sultanate of Oman is expected to lead the Middle East in terms of growth in the travel and tourism industry and post one of the strongest growth rates worldwide in the sector in 2014.

This is according to a report released last month by the World Travel & Tourism Council. The Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2014 assessed that the travel and tourism industry had directly contributed OMR 982.8m to Oman’s economy in 2013, which is 3% of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This forecast is to rise by 10.2% to OMR 1,082.7m in 2014. The surge in travel and tourism activities is expected to grow by 5.4 % per annum to Oman’s GDP, to reach OMR 1,834.2m by 2024, which is 3.9% of GDP.

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