Economy, Services and Manufacturing

Oman’s services, mostly governmental, contribute about 43 percent of the country’s GDP. Tourism is being promoted in an attempt to diversify Oman’s oil-dependent economy. The government plans the careful and steady development of the tourist industry by preserving cultural and archaeological sites. Tourism is focused on the Masqat area and historic interior sites such as the 17th-century Ibadi fort at Nizwa. Almost nonexistent in 1980, manufacturing industries have been encouraged and now contribute 4 percent of Oman’s GDP. Important manufactured products include copper cathodes, textiles, and cement.