Oman has benefitted from tourism due to the high level of Omanisation in the tourism sector, the highest among GCC countries, according to an expert.
Presenting a paper at the Arab tourism media workshop in Salalah on Sunday, Dr Habis Samawi, an academician from the media and tourism department of the University of Bahrain, said, "Oman has gained the most from tourism because it has the highest percentage of citizens - estimated at around 50 per cent - working in the tourism sector, according to statistics from tourism officials in Oman.
“This is followed by Bahrain, which is second in the GCC, with 18 per cent localisation. There is also a noticeable trend in Saudi Arabia of employing more local people in the tourism sector. The most important aspect of tourism is promoting the local, cultural, historical and scientific products of a country to visitors."
In countries like the UAE, although the number of tourists visiting the country is quite high, localisation in the tourism industry is only five per cent while the remaining 95 per cent are expatriates. "When the tourism sector employs citizens, they usually spend their earnings within the country, unlike expatriates who send their earnings back home. This boosts the national economy," Samawi added. He said that the focus of media should be on gaining from visitors' experiences. “Rather than focusing on statistics and the number of tourists visiting a country, media should focus on what the country and society can gain from the tourists.
"When calculating the number of tourists visiting a country, their daily expenditure needs to be taken into account, as well as their place of residence. Some people travel a lot but stay with their relatives. The duration of the stay is also an important factor to be considered.” Samawi also touched upon sustainable tourism and the importance of using indigenous products in the tourism industry.
