JEDDAH: The number of hotels and hotel apartments in Oman is growing at an average annual rate of 10 percent. The number of hotels in the sultanate increased to more than 16,000 by the end of 2010, up from around 10,000 at the start of the year. It increased from 30 in 1990 to 195 in 2008, it added. Oman's major airports in Muscat and Salalah are undergoing extensive upgrades, with around four new regional airports also planned. Its national carrier, Oman Air, has also been ramping up operations as demand grows, adding new direct flights to major cities in Europe, the UK and Asia. Having already established itself as a leisure tourism location of choice, Oman is set to become a leading regional business travel destination. It recently began construction of its $1 billion Oman Conference and Exhibition Centre in Muscat, its first international-standard conference venue and one of the biggest in the region. The Middle East reported year-on-year increases in all three key hotel occupancy performance measurements in October 2010, according to industry consultants STR Global. Occupancy was up 0.5 percent to 67.2 percent, the average daily room rate rose 0.8 percent to $162.54, and revenue per available room (RevPar) went up 1.3 percent $109.20. "Regionally, billions of dollars is being invested in tourism infrastructure - Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates aggressively expanding fleets and flying to new destinations," said Mark Walsh, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions Arabian Travel Market.
