Sustainable Cruise Tourism and Development in Oman

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Arabian Studies

Publication Date

8-4-2026

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the impact of the emerging cruise tourism industry on the sustainable development of coastal cities in the Sultanate of Oman. It conducts its assessment through an examination of the economic, social and environmental effects of this industry on selected coastal cities associated with cruise tourism. Through secondary data collected from the Omani government entities and survey data collected from 23 companies and 596 cruise tourists, our findings established that while cruise tourism offers significant economic and social benefits to the country in terms of income and employment generation, there is a dire need to embed the concept of sustainability in cruise activities and promote it among cruise tourism operators and tourists. Results also reveal a considerable divergence between the efforts of the main stakeholders to capture the economic opportunities generated by this industry and its environmental impact on the ecosystem in the coastal cities under examination. The findings are also expected to result in policy change or adjustment to balance economic gains with ecological concerns in the development process.

ISSN

2153-4780

Publisher

Informa UK Limited

Disciplines

Tourism and Travel

Keywords

Cruise tourism, employmnt, environment, income, Oman, sustainable development

Scopus ID

105046770352

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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