Tourists in their thousands will descend on Oman’s picturesque southern governorate of Dhofar from Sunday, officially the first day of the annual ‘Khareef’ (monsoon) season that will last until September 21. The region’s unique weather and monsoon showers, and water springs and misty mountains are a hit with Gulf tourists looking for an escape from the searing summer heat in the rest of the Gulf. Dhofar, ‘the land of frankincense’, as it is known all over the world, attracted some 450,500 tourists from Oman and abroad last year, an increase of 24 per cent over 2007. A sizeable majority of vacationers visiting from outside the country every year are from the neighbouring GCC states, with the UAE topping the list. The highpoint of the season will be the Salalah Tourism Festival (STF) from July 15 to August 31. The Dhofar Municipality said all preparations had been completed to receive a record number of tourists expected this year.
The Dhofar region is rich in archaeological sites, including the ruins of the ancient city of Samhuran. Frankincense was the main export that found its way to Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt in 1500 BC. The climate of Dhofar is dramatically different from the rest of the Sultanate due to the effects of the monsoon rains which arrive during the summer months, creating humidity and moderate temperatures of lower than 30 degree Celsius. As a result, the area becomes lush green, with waterfalls and rivers feeding the surrounding pastures. The mountain ridge, which receives the most rain, stretches for 400km from east to west. The spectacular water falls at Darbat and Athom are especially popular among holidaymakers. Other major tourist attractions include the ancient cities of Al Balid and Khor Rori Samhuran, Tawi Attair (the ‘Well of Birds’), Lost City of Ubar, Wadi Darbat, Mughsayl beach, Nabi Ayoub’s Tomb, Azart, Jarzeez, Sahnout and Athoum springs, the historical site of Taqa, the town of Mirbat, Bin Ali’s Tomb and the craftsmen’s souq in Salalah.
Officials of Dhofar Municipality said all efforts have been made to ensure this year’s tourism season a “big success,” adding that the public and private sectors had come together to showcase Salalah as a “modern city provided with all the latest facilities that qualify it to become one of the major tourist hubs in the region.” All highways leading to the region have been renovated or repaired for the benefit of visitors coming by road from the other parts of Oman and the GCC countries, a spokesman for the municipality said. A major project to landscape Salalah had also been completed, he added. Work on a new dual carriageway which links the Al Maamourah area with the wilayat of Taqah is almost over and safety features on the mountainous road that connects Salalah to the wilayat of Thumrait have been enhanced.
The Tourism Ministry recently opened the first phase of a project to develop four tourist sites - Iteen Cave at Al Jabal area, Ain Jarziz (spring water), Hamrir and Ain Sahlanout. Three Tourist Information Centres – at the Salalah Airport, Harait and Salalah city – have been spruced up and will provide all assistance to visitors, ministry officials said. Meanwhile, STF, the tourism festival, will this time feature several more activities and events than in 2008 to transform it into a “complete festival for the family – covering all interests, from shopping to games and from adventures to shows,” according to Dhofar Municipality authorities.
These will include an international consumer exhibition, Heritage Village, children’s theatre, tele matches, dolphin shows, circus, a kite festival, fireworks, cartoon shows, concerts, folklore shows, an Omani products exhibition and a book fair. The consumer show will run throughout the festival— the Omani products exhibition from July 20 to July 29 and book fair from August 5 to 31. The beginning of the Khareef season today will also mark the launch of a joint survey of tourists by the ministries of national economy and tourism and the Royal Oman Police (ROP). The study which will last until the end of the season aims to collect precise data on visitors, their nationalities, countries of domicile and preferences, their spending pattern while in Oman and feedback on their stay here. “The objective,” a National Economy Ministry source said, “is to further improve services we provide them in the coming years.”
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