Orascom Development and its Omani platform Muriya are continuing to build across three tourism destinations in Oman, including a private-island development off Dhofar expected to cost more than $90mn, the developer said on September 2.
The commitment runs against a regional backdrop of caution in tourism investment, positioning Orascom to capture Oman’s push to build out hospitality capacity under its Vision 2040 diversification plan, at a time when war elsewhere in the Gulf has made some developers wary of the region. Muriya, a partnership between Orascom Development and the state tourism developer OMRAN, said it had invested more than $750mn in Oman to date.
The most ambitious project is As Sodah Island, a private-island destination off Dhofar. More than $25mn has been invested in infrastructure and construction, with a further $65mn or more anticipated, taking total investment beyond $90mn. The company said the project was backed by shareholder capital and institutional support rather than off-plan sales.
At Hawana Salalah, the first phase of the Amazi development is close to 80% complete and on track for handover in the first quarter of 2027, with a Lubana Islands project in the pipeline. At Jebel Sifah, new phases are advancing. Across both destinations, Muriya plans around 1,000 additional hotel rooms within three to five years.
“Oman has everything we look for as a long-term developer: stability, natural beauty, and a clear direction for its future,” said Naguib Sawiris, chairman of Orascom Development. He said the company built for decades and intended to grow with Oman.
Under Oman’s Vision 2040, tourism is a pillar of economic diversification, with the government courting investment to attract visitors, create jobs and draw capital into the sultanate.
Muriya describes itself as a leading integrated tourism real-estate developer in Oman, with destinations at Hawana Salalah, Jebel Sifah and As Sodah Island.
Why it matters for the trade
For the travel trade, Orascom’s steady build-out is a supply-side signal worth tracking: about 1,000 new hotel rooms across Salalah and Jebel Sifah within three to five years materially expands bookable inventory in two of Oman’s growth destinations, with the Amazi handover in early 2027 the nearest-term addition. Salalah’s monsoon-season draw and Jebel Sifah’s proximity to Muscat give operators distinct products to package.
As Sodah Island, as a private-island play funded by capital rather than off-plan sales, targets the high-end, low-volume luxury segment that Oman has been positioning against Maldives and Seychelles alternatives. The caveats: this is a developer statement, so the room counts and timelines are the company’s own projections, and delivery dates on integrated resort phases routinely slip.
Operators should treat the 2027 Amazi handover as the firm near-term milestone and hold the room-pipeline figures as targets pending confirmed openings.