The Sultanate of Oman announced that it will exempt nationals of over 100 countries, including Lebanon, from visa requirement for a stay of up to 10 days, to support its tourism sector and boost its economy.
The move comes a week after the country said that it would resume granting tourist visas to people visiting Oman on trips arranged by hotels and tourism companies.
These trips had been suspended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Oman had resumed international flights on October 1st, but only allowed entry to holders of valid residency and work visas.
“Nationals of 103 countries are exempted from entry visas into the Sultanate for a period of ten days,” the Gulf state said on Wednesday.
Nonetheless, travelers visiting Oman must still adhere to other entry conditions, such as having a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance covering the duration of the trip, and a return ticket, according to Royal Oman Police.
Notably, Oman is facing large debt maturities in the next few years and suffering a hit to its economy. Its government has recently been working on a plan to reduce its dependence on oil revenues.
In related news, the Lebanese Embassy in the UAE recently confirmed that, contrary to recent reports, Emirati authorities have not issued an official decision to suspend visas for Lebanese citizens.
