Muscat – The competent courts have recently issued a series of judicial rulings against a commercial establishment operating within the travel and tourism sector following a string of complaints lodged with the Consumer Protection Authority. The legal proceedings were initiated after the Authority in Muscat Governorate referred multiple reports to the Public Prosecution concerning the supplier’s consistent failure to deliver services in accordance with established standards. Citizens who had contracted with the firm reported paying substantial sums for tourism programmes, including hotel reservations and transportation, which were either partially executed or not implemented at all.

Investigations revealed that the establishment’s offices had remained closed since the end of 2024, leaving numerous consumers without the services they had funded. The total financial impact on the affected individuals exceeded RO25,000, prompting the Authority to cite a clear violation of Article 23 of the Consumer Protection Law, issued under Royal Decree No. 66/2014. Consequently, the courts convicted both the owner and the entity of the misdemeanor of failing to provide proper service, resulting in a six-month prison sentence for the primary defendant and a cumulative fine of RO3,800 imposed across the various cases.

In addition to the penal sanctions, the court has ordered the establishment to refund the amounts due to the aggrieved consumers, totalling approximately RO20,334.5. The defendants have also been held liable for the costs associated with the public lawsuit.