Number of licensed hotel establishments in Al Buraimi increases by 18% in 2026

The hotel and tourism sector in Oman's Al Buraimi Governorate experienced significant growth in 2026, with a notable 18 percent increase in licensed hotel establishments. This expansion added eight new venues, bringing the total to 47 across different classifications.

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The increase in the number of hotel establishments contributed to boosting the capacity of the governorate's hotel sector and helped address room shortages that used to occur during tourist seasons and official occasions.

Humaid Rashid Al Zaidi, Director of the Heritage and Tourism Department, stated that this growth enhances the governorate's hotel capacity and helps alleviate room shortages during busy tourist seasons and official events. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is actively diversifying hotel classifications to cater to a wider range of visitors and meet increasing demand.

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The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is working to diversify the classifications of hotel establishments to suit various categories of visitors and residents, and to meet the growing demand for hotel and tourism services.

The governorate's establishments include tourist resorts, hotels, apartment hotels, green lodges on farms, guesthouses, and a luxury tourist camp. These are spread across the wilayats of Al Buraimi and Mahdah. Al Zaidi highlighted that favorable legislative environments, investment incentives like reduced fees, and streamlined application processes have encouraged local investors.

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The legislative environment and investment incentives, including the issuance of the executive regulations for the Tourism Law and its reduction of fees for preliminary approvals and hotel establishment licenses, contributed to creating legal flexibility for operating green lodges, guesthouses, and heritage hotels, encouraging local investors and entrepreneurs to establish medium-cost tourism projects.

Furthermore, the digital transformation of services through the Oman Business Platform has accelerated licensing, attracting more investment. Al Zaidi also emphasized Al Buraimi's strategic location near border crossings as a key factor for overland tourism and trade, supported by ongoing infrastructure development.

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The digital transformation of services provided through the Oman Business Platform played a significant role in accelerating licensing procedures by enabling investors to submit and track applications electronically, which reflected positively on attracting more investments into the tourism sector.