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Muscat: More than 16,000 Omani citizens are currently employed in the tourism sector in the Sultanate, the country’s Ministry of Tourism (MoT) has announced.
According to data released by the MoT on Wednesday, 16,487 Omanis were employed in the tourism sector till mid-2019.
In the first eight months of the current year, 2,140 Omanis were recruited within the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification. These statistics were released by the Ministry ahead of World Tourism Day, commemorated annually on 27 September.
On this occasion, Oman’s Minister of Tourism Ahmad bin Nasir Al Mahrazi chaired the main celebratory event held at the MoT theatre on Wednesday.
The event highlighted MoT’s endeavours to recruit local youth to work in the Sultanate’s tourism sector, reviewed operations and programmes on tourism awareness, and a number of successful tourism industry SMEs.
At the event, Al Mahrazi said that tourism sector is one of the most promising sectors in Oman that is providing the most job opportunities to the country’s youth.
“Globally, tourism provided 330 million jobs in 2017. And according to World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism industry is excepted to offer 440 million jobs by 2028. All over the world, tourism provides one in every ten jobs. Locally, tourism offered more than 16 thousand jobs to Omanis till the mid of 2019. The Ministry of Tourism cooperates with many competent authorities to initiate a variety of initiative of ‘training coupled with employment’ in line with the efforts of the ministry at all levels to increase recruitment of Omanis in tourism industry and support SMEs operating in tourism sector, promoting tourism entrepreneurship,” he said.
Another function will be held today by the German University of Technology in Oman (GUTech) on the occasion of World Tourism Day, under the auspices of Oman’s minster of tourism.
At the event, Al Mahrazi will have an open discussion with students on the theme of World Tourism Day.
The discussion will highlight the importance of partnership and cooperation between all competent authorities and concerned establishments; including academic institutions, civil society and private sector to initiate more initiatives and campaigns for spreading more awareness to encourage Omani youth to take up jobs that are offered by Oman’s tourism industry.
The Directorate General of Tourism at the Governorate of Dhofar and different tourism administrations throughout the Sultanate will also participate in the celebrations by organising several entertainment and awareness events and functions that are centred around World Tourism Day. These events — that are being held in cooperation with different tourism facilities and establishments — will continue till 30 September.