As part of its efforts to stimulate tourism investment and support the owners of small and medium enterprises, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has appealed to the owners of SMEs to restore heritage sites. 

In a statement, the ministry said, ‘The ministry calls on SMEs to carry out consultancy work, maintenance and restoration of heritage sites and architectural heritage.’

Those SMEs wishing to participate must provide details about their achievements and their budget, it added.

Meanwhile, the ministry has completed the restoration work of some castles and forts. Restoration work on Saham Fort in North Batinah is complete while work on the Al Hazm Castle is in final stages of completion.

The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) has stated that as many as 426,500 people visited forts and castles in Oman in 2019, registering an increase of 16.4 per cent on the previous year’s figures.

Of the total visitors, 251,080 were tourists from different countries, according to statistics of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism.

NCSI said in 2018, some 366,360 people visited forts and castles compared to 319,163 in 2017. 

The ministry continues to restore and maintain castles and forts that are distinguished due to architectural diversity.