DETERMINANTS OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE: AN EMPIRICAL EVALUATION OF OMAN’S TOURISM COMPANIES

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the determinants of the capital structure of tourism companies in Oman. This study uses the trade-off theory and pecking order theory to postulate hypotheses related to determinants of capital structure. Methodology: In line with extant literature, size, liquidity, tangibility, growth opportunities, and risk are used as the determinants of the capital structure. The sample in this study includes nine listed tourism companies for the period 2007 to 2016, which aggregates to 90 firm-year observations. Main findings: The results show that the capital structure of tourism companies is influenced by size, growth, and risk. The trade-off theory and pecking order theory are useful for partially explaining the leverage decisions of Oman's tourism companies. Implications: The empirical findings of this research imply that tourism companies' corporate managers can make optimal capital structure decisions based on determinants. Novelty: To the best of the author's knowledge, this study is a first for examining the determinants of capital structure for Oman's tourism companies using data over ten years. It lends support to the determinants identified in prior literature for developed and developing countries.