Oman clears the way for short-term rentals

Oman clears the way for short-term rentals

Holiday makers in Oman will soon have more accommodation options as the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) is opening the short-term rental market to property developers, hospitality companies, small and medium enterprises and to individually owned properties at a later stage.

An agreement to this effect has been signed between Visit Oman and the UK’s UnderTheDoormat Group – an award-winning global short-term rental technology company.

Oman currently offers short-term rentals through a variety of players on global platforms, such as Airbnb and Booking.com, but the tech partnership breaks new ground, and officially opens the market in a transparent manner.

‘This first-of-its-kind partnership will pave the way for opening government approved short-term rentals in Oman, while offering travellers from around the world choice in the types of accommodation they can access to explore everything Oman has to offer. It will further enhance Visit Oman’s capabilities to connect international travel trade with tourism suppliers and new types of accommodation in the sultanate,’ a press release stated.

At an official ceremony hosted by H E Azzan bin Qassim al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Tourism in MHT, in Muscat recently, the agreement was signed between Shabib al Maamari, Managing Director of Visit Oman, and Merilee Karr, Founder and