The Omani authorities denied plans to increase the fees levied on expatriates living in GCC countries that plan to visit the country, Oman Observer daily reported.
“The visa fee for GCC residents visiting Oman remains at RO5 and no changes have been made”, announced the Ministry of Tourism.
The statement was in response to reports about an alleged fee hike which would impact the flow of GCC-based tourists to Oman.
The number of people who visited Oman grew by 6.6 per cent on average per year during the period from 2009 until the end of 2017.
According to statistics released by the ministry, the number of visitors soared by 4.7pc to 3,261,484 at the end of 2017, up from 3,044,705 in 2016.
In the first two months of 2018, the number of visitors to Oman (January and February) increased by 10.8pc to 71,701 up from 64,690 during these two months in 2017.
The ministry expects an annual growth by over 13pc in tourism arrivals up to 2020, with the expansion of Muscat and other airports.