With rumours emerging that the 2016 edition may have been the last for the Tour of Oman, whilst the Tour of Qatar attracted fewer WorldTour teams than ever, organisers have said the race will continue and they are even considering applying to become WorldTour level events.

“I had meetings and the future looks bright,” organizer Dirk De Pauw, who partners with Eddy Merckx for the races, told VeloNews regarding the Tour of Oman.

De Pauw met with city officials, who fund the race, Sunday morning before the final stage near Muscat’s Souk. “They said that they want to go on. We need to write some reports about how it’s going to work,” he said. “The minister of tourism told me, ‘Please call. Here’s my mobile. You have all my support to go on.’ What more do you want to hear?”

De Pauw said the race has a huge impact on Oman’s tourism and the race has even opened up the public’s eyes to how beautiful their nation is.

“For the city, the [Tour of Oman’s] impact in the world is important as a tool to promote tourism. That’s what matters and that’s why we tried this year to have many more scenery shots. The Omani said that they were surprised. They said to me, ‘Wow, we didn’t know that our country is so beautiful.'”

Merckx said that in his opinion, the 2016 Tour of Oman was the best he has ever seen since the race’s inception.

“This is maybe the best Tour of Oman since we started,” Merckx told VeloNews. “With Nibali winning and Romain Bardet second, we had the best in cycling racing for the overall. Don’t forget Bob Jungels, and wins by Kristoff and Edvald Boasson Hagen.”