Motives of cultural heritage tourism: The case of world heritage sites in Oman

Cultural heritage tourism (CHT) is one of the most significant tourist patterns that has grown substantially in recent years. This is because the majority of visitors have motives for seeking to learn more about the historical, cultural, and heritage-related sites in popular tourist destinations. Given the relative paucity of studies that addressed the key motivations for the CHT pattern in many countries throughout the world, including Oman, this highlights the necessity for further research into the motives that contribute to this pattern of tourism. As a result, this study seeks to focus on the motivations for CHT in Oman, with an emphasis on the UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites. This conceptual work helps scholars better understand the factors that influence the pattern of CHT while also giving them a number of perspectives for future research on the subject. The current work also offers destination managers and decision-makers in the tourism industry a set of practical contributions.