Oman drew 6.94 lakh Indian visitors last year — and is already at 3.81 lakh for 2026

The numbers

Oman received 6.94 lakh Indian visitors in 2025, an increase of approximately 11 per cent, and 3.81 lakh Indian arrivals in the first half of 2026, according to the Sultanate’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. The figures were given by Yousuf Khalaf Al Mujaizi, Assistant Director of Business Development at the ministry’s Tourism Promotion Directorate, in remarks carried by PTI on 6 September.

Al Mujaizi said direct services operate from more than ten Indian cities to Muscat, with links to Salalah expanding, and described growing interest "across family holidays, premium travel, adventure, nature, destination weddings and MICE".

What it means if you are choosing a Gulf trip

The half-year figure is the striking one: 3.81 lakh arrivals in six months is already 55% of the whole of 2025, so Oman is growing quickly rather than steadily. For an Indian traveller that shows up in two practical ways — more direct flights from more cities, which makes a short break feasible from beyond the metros, and more inventory being built for exactly the trips Indians take.

Oman also reads differently from its neighbours. It is the Gulf trip for mountains, wadis, forts and empty coastline rather than malls and towers, and Salalah in the southern monsoon season is unlike anywhere else on the peninsula. Fares and hotel rates are typically softer than Dubai in the same weeks, which matters this winter given how tight UAE capacity has become.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Indian tourist arrivals to Oman rise 11 pc in 2025 — The Siasat Daily (PTI), 06 September 2026
• Oman is becoming a new favourite among Indian tourists. Here’s why — Business Today, 06 September 2026