Salalah Airport Sees Major Growth In Passenger Traffic: A Boon For Oman’s Tourism Sector

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Tourism continues to emergence successful Oman’s picturesque confederate city, pinch accrued rider activity successful Salalah Airport reported for May 2025 astatine 6.7 per cent. A full of 557,298 passengers utilized nan airdrome past period compared pinch 522,224 during nan aforesaid clip successful 2024, and pinch numbers increasing, nan figures supply a hopeful early for nan tourism manufacture and nan wider region. This description is occurring against a inheritance of fluctuating rider postulation astatine each nan different main airports of Oman which suggests changing recreation habits and an denotation of maturation successful nan pipeline.

The statistic by nan National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) of Oman person reported that contempt a 3% diminution successful nan full rider activity successful Oman’s airports, including Muscat, Sohar, Duqm, and Salalah, Salalah has emerged arsenic a ray of hope. That is an important improvement arsenic it is not conscionable an parameter that Salalah’s prima is rising arsenic portion of a wide-ranging attack supported by Oman to create its tourism marketplace and tie successful much overseas tourists.

For Salalah – famed for melodramatic landscapes, temperate monsoon upwind arena and historical value – nan emergence successful visitant numbers represents a renaissance of its tourism industry. The metropolis of Salalah is famed for being a deed among locals, particularly astatine this clip of twelvemonth (it’s nan metropolis wherever they travel to play for Khareef / Oman’s monsoon) Now though, it’s progressively attracting world alternatively than home visitors. The summation successful rider postulation astatine nan airdrome suggests that travellers are exploring nan beauty and characteristic of Salalah erstwhile again. The city’s pristine beaches, ancient forts and taste colour successful its thriving souks are progressively luring visitors from each complete nan world.

Muscat International Airport: Mixed Prospects

And yet Salalah’s occurrence is not matched successful each of Omani aviation. Over successful Oman, rider postulation astatine Muscat International Airport, which is typically nan nation’s busiest, besides decreased from 5.39 cardinal passengers successful 2024 to 5.21 cardinal by May 2025. This represented a 3.5% postulation autumn successful conjunction pinch a 7.5% diminution successful flights. Muscat whitethorn still beryllium a immense location hub, immoderate nan troubles Muscat is successful for Omani aviation nan skies of nan state are changing quickly arsenic it becomes much difficult to only let Internet shoppers and citybreakers.M This descent suggests to maine that Omani aviation faces a surely changed scenery wherever visitors are quickly diversifying their tourism destinations and Salalah is only nan commencement of that.

Reasons for nan diminution successful Muscat International Airport postulation could beryllium thing from world economical shifts to existing recreation patterns, traveler penchant alteration etc. But, successful spite of specified struggles, request for recreation to Oman, connected nan whole, is beardown and Salalah remains a sparkling illustration of really visitors person discovered a sensation for progressively balanced itineraries combining history, quality and culture.

Sohar Airport and Duqm Airport: A Tale of Two Reactions

Meanwhile, for Sohar and Duqm airports, nan nonaccomplishment of rider numbers is steep. Sohar Airport knowledgeable a staggering 98.8% driblet successful postulation pinch conscionable 336 passengers by extremity May 2025, compared pinch 27,350 during nan balanced 2024 period. This steep diminution is an reply to persisting struggles successful nan region’s tourism infrastructure and mediocre formation offerings. The airport, northbound of Muscat, has recovered it difficult to compete pinch nan overmuch larger and much modern Muscat International Airport, and nan nonaccomplishment successful rider measurement is testament to it being incapable to thrust sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, Duqm Airport successful confederate Oman recorded a flimsy alteration successful activity past period of 1.2% pinch full rider postulation reaching 25,371 passengers by nan extremity of May 2025. While nan diminution is small, it is simply a matter of interest arsenic Duqm is expected to beryllium transformed into a awesome economical and business hub, and nan airdrome would person had a awesome domiciled to play successful promoting business and leisure traffic. Nevertheless, nan business astatine Duqm and Sohar airports highlights a wider problem of aerial connectivity and trading that whitethorn impact nan imaginable of these secondary airports successful nan years to come.

The bigger image for tourism successful Salalah

Whilst nan +6.7% summation successful passengers astatine Salalah will beryllium a affirmative motion for nan early of Oman tourism. Tourism successful Salalah was ever seasonal, chiefly during nan Khareef play wherever it becomes overmuch cooler; nan full region is being covered successful green. But pinch expanding world attraction and improved infrastructure, Salalah is connected its measurement to becoming a year-round draw.

The city’s different tie for visitors is not conscionable nan splendor of nan Dhofar region. Salalah, too, has a operation of history and civilization that makes it different from different destinations successful nan Middle East. With places for illustration nan ruins of Al-Baleed, an aged larboard metropolis and nan Museum of Frankincense Land that depicts nan region’s proud history, Salalah is simply a dainty for stepping aficionados. The strategical geographical location of nan metropolis connected nan seashore of nan Arabian Sea further enhances its lure, pinch visitors getting an opportunity to behold untouched beaches, virgin caves, and breathtaking upland ranges successful a region, wherever they are fewer and acold between.

Salalah besides serves an introduction constituent for travelers looking to research nan remainder of Dhofar. Close to nan Yemen separator and pinch entree to nan quiet quarter, it is simply a bully motorboat constituent for travelers successful hunt of escapade and to research nan little visited parts of nan country. In addition, nan description of aerial recreation betwixt cities has created caller possibilities for overseas travellers to sojourn Salalah and nan catchment area, adding different furniture of economical summation for nan locals.

How This Increase successful Passenger Volumes Affects nan Economy

Passenger numbers astatine Salalah Airport are apt to bring an influx of much-needed revenues to nan region. Key to nan country’s economical diversification plans arsenic it moves distant from relying connected lipid revenues, Oman is focusing connected tourism. Salalah is good positioned to beryllium a portion of this diversification pinch its wealthiness of benefits successful quality and history. Greater tourism besides has nan added use of not only contributing to nan country’s system by offering opportunities wrong nan hospitality, carrier and unit industries, but besides of raising nan world’s consciousness arsenic nan jewel of travel.

For Salalah tourism has go 1 of nan awesome driving forces down nan improvement of infrastructure for illustration caller hotels, amended carrier links and nan description of nan airport. Investment successful these areas will astir apt beryllium encouraged by nan emergence successful rider numbers astatine Salalah Airport, further enhancing nan entreaty of nan region to early tourists. In addition, accrued footfall from overseas will connection a invited boost to nan section hospitality and unit sector, helping to unafraid Salalah arsenic 1 of Oman’s premier tourer destinations.”

What does nan early clasp for Omani tourism?

As Oman’s recovering tourism assemblage pushes on, nan semipermanent solution for a sustainable strategy is further diversification and extending nan world floor plan of places specified arsenic Salalah. Leveraging its history, scenic beauty and hospitality, Salalah has nan imaginable to move up nan ladder of world’s destinations. But nan situation will now beryllium to not conscionable spot nan maturation of 2025 happening sooner, but prolong it beyond 2025, pinch ongoing finance into infrastructure, home and world aerial entree and marketing.

The fame of Salalah’s airdrome and nan wide description of nan city’s tourism industry, are besides grounds that travelers are progressively demanding little commercialized and authentic experiences. It is nan earthy beauty of nan spot coupled pinch a rich | taste past that has this to offer, which has successful move made Salalah an perfect spot for those who want their enactment successful nan Gulf to beryllium a small little tally of nan mill and a batch much personal.

References: National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI),Oman Civil Aviation Authority, Salalah Airport Passenger and Flight Operations Report, 2025, Ministry of Tourism