Muscat – Oman’s three- to five-star hotels recorded a 15.9% decline in guest numbers by the end of April 2026, even as domestic tourism showed modest growth, according to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Total hotel guests fell to 696,911, compared with 829,052 in the same period in 2025. Revenues also declined by 12.2%, dropping to RO96.152mn from RO109.484mn a year earlier.

Despite the overall contraction, Omani nationals remained the largest guest segment, rising 3.5% year-on-year to 246,934 visitors.

European travellers formed the second-largest group with 220,015 guests, followed by 106,189 visitors from Asia. GCC nationals accounted for 40,322 guests, while arrivals from other Arab countries stood at 25,714.

Hotels also received 23,992 guests from the Americas, 7,083 from Oceania and 5,054 from Africa during the reporting period.

Overall occupancy across three- to five-star properties stood at 50.2% by the end of April.

The decline in total arrivals comes despite continued demand from the domestic market, which has helped offset sharper reductions in other segments. However, the drop in international and regional inflows weighed on overall performance indicators, including revenues and occupancy.