“They just buy a karak and leave” – Overtourism in Souq Muttrah, the Sultanate of Oman

The research analyses overtourism in a fast-changing destination on the Arabian Peninsula with its social ‘ordering’, conceptualized in local community perceptions, local memories and representations. The souq, located opposite the cruise terminal in Muscat, is the oldest marketplace in Oman and one of the top tourist destinations. The construction of a new USD 2 billion Waterfront Development facing the souq will start by the end of 2019. How does the local, multi-ethnic community consisting of sellers, business owners, tour guides, residents and government officials experience the spatial and social changes? How authentic is the souq for them? Cultural brokers like shop vendors, business-owners and tour guides are seen as local agents. Their perspectives are analyzed within a capitalist, neoliberal development, reinforced since the arrival of mega-cruise tourism in the Sultanate of Oman in 2004. The research is part of a long-term, qualitative, ethnographic research project conducted between 2012 and 2014 and 2017 and 2019 on cruise tourism development transforming Souq Muttrah into a ‘hybrid space’. Results indicate that mega-cruise tourism has created signs of overtourism, operationalized in overcrowding along the main streets, a monoculture of shops, unethical guiding and selling practices transforming the souq into a hybrid space and a staged culture. Interviewees felt being part of a dynamic, cultural and historical process or legacy in Souq Muttrah. To maximize benefits and to increase their quality of life, it is recommended to introduce regulatory, economic and physical measures while including all stakeholders of the local community in cruise tourism planning.