H E Salim bin Mohammed bin Said al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, has issued the Ministerial Decision No 37/ 2021 to penalise any travel and tourism agency or hotel establishment for making any bookings without using the Sahala platform.

The Supreme Committee for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has recently issued an order making it mandatory for every traveller coming to Oman to book hotels for quarantine only through the Sahala platform. 

‘Travel and tourism agencies and hotel establishments that do not use the Sahala platform will pay a fine of RO2,000,’ states the latest decision.

The decision stipulates that the ministry will monitor the hotels and travel and tourism agencies and ensure that they comply with the decisions of the Supreme Committee and that the violating facilities will have to pay administrative fines. 

‘Repeat violators face a heftier fine of RO2,000 and closure of their operations for one month,’ it states.

Violations and fines:

            Failure to register on Sahala platform and not activating the monitoring devices issued by the concerned authority: RO2,000 

            Failure to contact with health institutions to treat isolated cases that require medical intervention: RO1,000

            Failure to inform specialists in ROP and Relief and Shelter Sector of cases that violate the requirements of institutional isolation: RO1,000

            Allowing isolated individuals to leave the facility or move between rooms or permitting outside visitors: RO1,000

            Increasing rents for hotel rooms designated for institutional quarantine: RO500 

            Failure to maintain cleanliness and quality of services: RO500 

            Isolating more than one person in one room: RO1,000

            Failure to designate three per cent of rooms in the facility for COVID-19 cases: RO1,000

            Failure to adhere to guidelines on COVID-19: RO1,000

Tax waiver

With an aim to minimise the impact of COVID-19 crisis, Muscat Municipality has announced the suspension of tax collection from several entities till the end of December 2021.

The municipality said, ‘Based on the economic stimulus plan to mitigate the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis, it has been decided to suspend the collection of the municipality tax that is collected from hotels, tourist restaurants, cinemas, amusement and entertainment centres, until the end of December 2021.’