Muscat – Tourist arrivals from Italy to Oman rose 10.4% in the first quarter of 2026, reinforcing its position as one of the sultanate’s key tourism source markets.

The growth coincided with an official visit to Italy by H E Ibrahim Said Al Busaidi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing joint tourism promotion and expanding cooperation in heritage preservation.

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT), Oman welcomed 24,769 visitors from Italy on tourist visas in the first quarter of 2026.

The increase builds on the strong performance recorded in 2025, when the total number of Italian visitors to Oman reached 80,769, marking a 12% rise over 2024. Italy ranked as Oman’s third-largest European tourism source market that year.

During his visit from October 5 to 9, H E Al Busaidi held meetings with senior Italian government officials in Rome, Florence and Tivoli to explore opportunities for tourism growth, cultural exchange and joint marketing.

Key outcomes included the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Italy’s Ministry of Culture to strengthen cooperation in heritage preservation and related initiatives.

In separate discussions with Italy’s Ministry of Tourism, both sides agreed to work on a joint tourism programme encompassing proposals, collaborative initiatives and shared tourism development projects.

MHT said the rising number of visitors from Italy reflects strengthening bilateral relations and creates further opportunities for joint promotion and cultural exchange between the two countries.