By Hasan Kamoonpuri -
Now that the Khareef season (June 21-September 22) has begun in the Governorate of Dhofar, there will be a steady stream of tourists coming to the region from different parts of the world in general and the Gulf region in particular.
To celebrate its rich heritage, every summer during the Khareef (monsoon) season, the Sultanate organises the Salalah Tourism Festival (July 15-August 31). This six-week festival encompasses folk music, traditional games, art shows, poetry, children’s contests, seminars, awareness campaigns, sports and more.
Oman’s tour operators as well as the Ministry of Tourism have in recent times launched several programmes in all Gulf countries to market the Salalah Tourism Festival. They are also keen to add value to tourists’ overall experience.
What appeals to visitors and tourists most? Its pleasant climate during summer in the GCC is the key factor. This is the time of the year when visitors can experience the cooler, cloudy, summer climate with refreshing rains and a lush green countryside. Due to the exceptional natural phenomena, Dhofar is considered as one of the most arresting areas for tourists particularly in autumn, where the temperature ranges between 15 to 22 degrees Celsius.
The city of Salalah is packed with visitors during the Khareef season who come to experience a wide range of activities centred on the whole family. Traditionally popular with GCC nationals, the Khareef season now also attracts resident expatriates who are looking to explore a distinctly different part of the Arabian Peninsula. A number of cultural shows take place at the Municipality Fair Grounds every day during the festival.
Salalah is a quiet resort town situated in the south of Oman and is home to some of the oldest historical sites in the world and has an equally unique terrain of beautiful sandy beaches, awe-inspiring deserts, and magnificent mountain ranges; all minutes away from each other. The main interests of tourists are the Al Balid Museum and nearby archaeological ruins, Mughsayl Beach with its amazing blowholes, hairpin bend road, Job’s Tomb, Samharam, Ain Razat gardens, Bin Ali Mosque, Mirbat and the colourful souks of Salalah. Another interesting place of visit is the lost city of Ubar and also catch a glimpse of the Frankincense trees that are characteristic to Salalah and the Dhofar region.
Salalah Tourism Festival is now recognised as a significant event of international importance and a prime destination for tourists during the summer months of June, July and August.
The Salalah Tourism Festival is always a big draw for tourists and visitors. The festival highlights the intrinsic charm of the Dhofar region unrivalled in scenic locations, heritage and culture. The Salalah Tourism Festival is successfully expanding from year to year as a major attraction for regional tourism.
Leading tour operators admit that Salalah Tourism Festival is a major attraction for the regional tourists. Tour operators have launched attractive packages as well as road shows in GCC countries aimed at enhancing the appeal and popularity of the festival. Each year they market their Khareef packages through all their GCC tour operators during the Arabian Travel Market. The response is invariably encouraging.
Emerging as a year-round tourist destination, Oman can also be a big regional surfing spot during the summer and all it needs is to put in place a few surfing schools and camps, according to professional surfers. Salalah in particular is a great surfing destination.
Along with Oman Air Holidays, several tour operators each year actively get involved in promoting Salalah Tourism Festival. Oman Air Holidays has proved its leadership in promoting Salalah Tourism Festival all over the Middle East.
According to tour operators, the number of GCC tourists travelling to Salalah and bookings are picking up with each passing year. Salalah Tourism Festival is an event that has become much loved by tourists and visitors, thanks to the promotional activities of tour operators and the ministry. The festival is one of the region’s most successful and popular events.
The overall message of Khareef communication programmes is that Salalah Tourism Festival is for those people who are inspired by natural scenery, Dhofar’s unique monsoon season and leading-edge infrastructure facilities.
In recent times, tour operators are getting involved more aggressively in promoting the event in key target regions. As a result, the annual Salalah Tourism Festival is one of the most recognised events in the Middle East.
This year’s heavy rains have made wadis overflow and make spectacular waterfalls in Darbat and other areas. The Khareef packages simply help crystallise those reasons in the minds of tourists and visitors, says tour operators.
Tour operators in Dhofar region are also geared up to tap into the current Salalah Tourism Festival. Tour companies always have a fascinating experience in different editions of the festival in terms of high business volumes. As a result of rising tourist traffic, demand for hotel rooms outstrips supply in Salalah.
Part of the success of tour operators at Salalah Tourism Festival is their well-planned strategy of marketing the event in the entire Gulf region.
The growth in inbound tours is much higher compared to the other travel-related services. Hence hotel rooms often fall short of demand in Dhofar region during the festival.
Besides being a top-ranking tourist event, Salalah Tourism Festival is fast becoming one of the most successful events for shopping and entertainment in the region.
In fact, the festival won the award of being the best festival in the Middle East for promoting family tourism, which was announced at the Conference on Efficiency of Strategic Management of Festivals last year at the World Trade Centre in Dubai.
Salalah has undoubtedly earned a solid reputation as a tourist spot, and The Municipality Recreational Centre in valley “Attin” is the hub for visitors and festival activities, offering a vast variety of artistic, cultural, sport, heritage, tourism, and social activities that add to the attraction of the festival.
Dhofar is well known for its beautiful coasts like Raysut, Al Dahariz, Mughsayl, Taqa and Mirbat as well as several water springs and caves such as Suhur cave, Ayn Hamran cave, Wadi Darbat caves, and Tawi Atayr sinkhole.
The visitor turnout is consistently increasing each year, thanks to the elaborate arrangements made for the tourists.