Assessment of potential resources for promoting ecotourism suitability planning across the Omani coasts and Islands

Oman has numerous tourist resources, particularly within the realm of environmental and eco-tourism. The country is characterized by inimitable ecological landscape and ecotourism destinations that are distributed across all governorates. Oman's coasts extend 3,165 km from the Strait of Hormuz in the north, to the borders of Yemen in the south. The Omani coasts share with three seas: The Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It also includes a number of islands off the coast such as Masirah, Barr Al Hikman, Al-Dimaniyat and Halanyat. Oman also enjoys a rich and diverse topography that divides the country naturally into three distinct regions. These regions range from rocky highlands and deep fjords in the north, to the enormous sand dunes of the Alsharikiya and the large salt flats in the Alwusta to the lush green hills of the Dhofar of the south. The tourism sector has been identified the government as one of the activities to be considered and promoted in the economic diversification plan. This tendency has led to focus on promoting the sector to have more contribution to GDP. Likewise, tourism statistics in the Sultanate of Oman indicate that the total number of tourist arrivals in 2013 reached 1.9 million (NCSI, 2018). The net tourism production in the Sultanate reached RO 1.22 billion in 2014, of which about RO 250.9 million (20.5 %) from external tourism, while local tourism contribution amounted to RO 791.1 million (79.5%). Consequently, and to increase the contribution of tourism to the national economy, the Omani government has adopted a new strategy to address all aspects of tourism demand and investments as well as overcome obstacles. The governmental plan obviously targets increasing the contribution of tourism to national income to 6% in 2040. Indeed, the pillars of ecotourism components in Oman are many natural features and ecosystems such as mountains, deserts, coasts, islands, oases and sand dunes, especially the Wahiba sand in Sharqyah governorate and the Empty Quarter, which lies along the border with Saudi Arabia. In these sites safari tourism and camping activities could be developed. In addition, the coastal areas are rich in unique marine habitats, such as Ras al-Hadd, Masirah Island where there are unique species of turtles. Similarly, Musandam governorate which is located in the north and characterized by rich coral reefs and sand and rocky beaches. In the south of the country and along the coasts of Dhofar Governorate, there are several nature reserves, ecological features, and local forest, mountains and fauna and flora that provide great opportunities for developing new ecotourism destinations. However, possible spatial resources that can contribute effectively to non-oil economy such as tourism industry have not yet been evaluated. Initially, the unique Omani natural resources, wildlife, attractive ecological diversities, marine and geological formations, and natural reserves could be the cornerstone of promoting ecotourism. This research aims to spatially assess land suitability for ecotourism activities across the Omani coasts and islands, utilizing the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) method within the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) platform to make a ranking of decision choices. Based on the expected findings, the development of ecotourism in nature reserves and coastal areas can be effective strategies for generating foreign exchange income, creating new employment and also stimulating economic development. Focusing on identifying areas suitable for ecotourism, multi-criteria, and spatial assessment approach will be implemented to provide incentives and economic values for natural resources and ecosystem components in Oman. Likewise, this research targets creating immensely marketable sustainable tourism destinations and reducing the negative impacts on natural resources and local communities. Furthermore, governmental policymakers and planners can use the outputs of this research as a basis for evaluating the suitability of natural resources for ecotourism development.

Oman has numerous tourist resources, particularly within the realm of environmental and eco-tourism. The country is characterized by inimitable ecological landscape and ecotourism destinations that are distributed across all governorates. Oman's coasts extend 3,165 km from the Strait of Hormuz in the north, to the borders of Yemen in the south. The Omani coasts share with three seas: The Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It also includes a number of islands off the coast such as Masirah, Barr Al Hikman, Al-Dimaniyat and Halanyat. Oman also enjoys a rich and diverse topography that divides the country naturally into three distinct regions. These regions range from rocky highlands and deep fjords in the north, to the enormous sand dunes of the Alsharikiya and the large salt flats in the Alwusta to the lush green hills of the Dhofar of the south. The tourism sector has been identified the government as one of the activities to be considered and promoted in the economic diversification plan. This tendency has led to focus on promoting the sector to have more contribution to GDP. Likewise, tourism statistics in the Sultanate of Oman indicate that the total number of tourist arrivals in 2013 reached 1.9 million (NCSI, 2018). The net tourism production in the Sultanate reached RO 1.22 billion in 2014, of which about RO 250.9 million (20.5 %) from external tourism, while local tourism contribution amounted to RO 791.1 million (79.5%). Consequently, and to increase the contribution of tourism to the national economy, the Omani government has adopted a new strategy to address all aspects of tourism demand and investments as well as overcome obstacles. The governmental plan obviously targets increasing the contribution of tourism to national income to 6% in 2040. Indeed, the pillars of ecotourism components in Oman are many natural features and ecosystems such as mountains, deserts, coasts, islands, oases and sand dunes, especially the Wahiba sand in Sharqyah governorate and the Empty Quarter, which lies along the border with Saudi Arabia. In these sites safari tourism and camping activities could be developed. In addition, the coastal areas are rich in unique marine habitats, such as Ras al-Hadd, Masirah Island where there are unique species of turtles. Similarly, Musandam governorate which is located in the north and characterized by rich coral reefs and sand and rocky beaches. In the south of the country and along the coasts of Dhofar Governorate, there are several nature reserves, ecological features, and local forest, mountains and fauna and flora that provide great opportunities for developing new ecotourism destinations. However, possible spatial resources that can contribute effectively to non-oil economy such as tourism industry have not yet been evaluated. Initially, the unique Omani natural resources, wildlife, attractive ecological diversities, marine and geological formations, and natural reserves could be the cornerstone of promoting ecotourism. This research aims to spatially assess land suitability for ecotourism activities across the Omani coasts and islands, utilizing the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) method within the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) platform to make a ranking of decision choices. Based on the expected findings, the development of ecotourism in nature reserves and coastal areas can be effective strategies for generating foreign exchange income, creating new employment and also stimulating economic development. Focusing on identifying areas suitable for ecotourism, multi-criteria, and spatial assessment approach will be implemented to provide incentives and economic values for natural resources and ecosystem components in Oman. Likewise, this research targets creating immensely marketable sustainable tourism destinations and reducing the negative impacts on natural resources and local communities. Furthermore, governmental policymakers and planners can use the outputs of this research as a basis for evaluating the suitability of natural resources for ecotourism development.