An Empirical Analysis of Sustainable Strategies to Surmount Overtourism in Oman

Abstract

This study examines the significance of Oman’s sustainable strategies to mitigate overtourism. The study adopts a quantitative study design with a survey method to investigate the strategies’ effectiveness. Two hundred twenty participants were recruited through random sampling, most of whom were male. The data was collected from October to November 2020, and the data collection process lasted for four months, from December to March 2021. This study also reviews the role of economic challenges in causing overtourism in Oman. Further, it analyses the sustainable strategies adopted by the Omani government to overcome the overcrowding of tourist places in Muscat and Salalah and prevent the deterioration in the quality of tourism-related services and products. The significance and impact of the sustainable strategies were investigated through factor analysis. We developed the following hypotheses: (i) the economic challenges have resulted in overcrowded tourism in Oman; (ii) the sustainable strategies or framework(s) are sufficient to overcome overtourism in Oman; and (iii) there is a significant impact of sustainable strategies or framework(s) to overcome overtourism in Oman. The study concluded that economic challenges directly impacted the quality of the services and the entire hospitality and tourism sector in Oman, concerning overtourism. However, the government of Oman has adopted sustainable strategies and frameworks to address this overtourism challenge. Most respondents asserted that the steps taken to mitigate overtourism were significant in eliminating the challenge of overtourism in Oman.

Citation

Kukreti, M. and Dangwal, A. (2023), "An Empirical Analysis of Sustainable Strategies to Surmount Overtourism in Oman", Grima, S., Thalassinos, E., Noja, G.G., Stamataopoulos, T.V., Vasiljeva, T. and Volkova, T. (Ed.) Digital Transformation, Strategic Resilience, Cyber Security and Risk Management (Contemporary Studies in Economic and Financial Analysis, Vol. 111B), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 107-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1569-37592023000111B007