With the Khareef at its peak, the number of tourists in Dhofar has jumped manifold.
Dhofar’s attraction was reaffirmed after the Second Arab Forum for Tourism and Heritage, held in Salalah recently selected Dhofar as 2022’s best Arab tourist destination.
The various tourist attractions are reporting visitors not only from the region but also from other GCC countries heralding a renewed awakening to the tourism in the region that bore the brunt of the pandemic in the last two years.
“We are receiving a large number of tourists from across the Sultanate of Oman and beyond,” said Juan Paulo Alphonso, General Manager of Omran’s Alila Hinu Bay resort in Mirbat.
“What makes this year’s khareef Dhofar is that there has been an increase in the number of tourists from other GCC countries, from the Middle East region and European countries and the US,” said Alphonso, who took over as the GM of the national property during the peak of Covid-19 in 2021.
Other hotels and resorts, flat owners and commercial villa managers, and tour guides too echo his opinion.
“I accompany a lot of tourists these days compared to other months and it’s a mixed segment of people from across the globe who need to be accompanied to various destinations and to be explained the features of each spot,” said Adnan al Maashani, a tour guide.
According to statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism, there has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of visitors in Dhofar and passengers travelling through the Salalah Airport.
Nearly 315,000 passengers travelled through the Salalah Airport from the beginning of June till last week of August against 206,657 passengers who used the airport during the same period in 2021.
Travel and tourism experts opine that the governorate has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Gulf region due to its diverse natural features, exceptional weather and varied terrain.
“Where else can one find a tourist destination as diverse as Dhofar where rugged mountains stand on one side, and arid desert and vast beach merge on the other side than in Salalah,” asks Rowen Stevens, a European tourist who was visiting Wadi Darbat waterfalls.
Catapulting the khareef Dhofar’s international repute, several international airlines have started special flights to Salalah, including the low-cost airline Wizz Air, with two weekly flights from Abu Dhabi, and Gulf Air which is operating two weekly flights from Bahrain.
Oman’s national carrier Oman Air and Salam Air, the budget airline too have increased flights to cater to the demand. Oman Air is operating 12 domestic flights per day, while SalamAir has nine.
Salalah, the ‘Land of Frankincense’ and selected by Unesco for its two World Heritage sites, namely, the ruins of Al Baleed Port and Khor Ruri, is expecting more tourists to its misty clime and soothing greenery during the khareef which will end during the first week of September.
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