OMAN’S Ministry of Tourism is preparing for the large number of visitors expected to travel to Salalah during the al khareef season extending from June to early September. Last year, Salalah welcomed almost 300,000 local and international guests during the same period.
Salalah has emerged as a popular tourist destination due to its wide array of historical, natural and heritage sites such as the summer palace of the Queen of Sheba, found at the city’s ancient port of Sumhuran, which has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Adventurers can also visit the lost desert city of Ubar, the Baobab Forest, which has a tree more than 2,000 years old, and the fortified ruins of Al Balid.
The annual Salalah Tourism Festival held at the Municipality Showground during al khareef is another favourite tourist attraction.
“Aside from its numerous fascinating locations, Salalah also has cooler weather compared to other parts of Oman during the summer, so it has strong potential as a tourism hub,” said Salem Al Mamari, director general of tourism promotions, Oman Ministry of Tourism.
“The ministry has lined up several initiatives which will further boost the city’s appeal to local, regional and international travellers.
“We have commissioned a specialised company to draw up a concrete strategy for attracting more Gulf travellers into the city especially during the festive summer months.”
Almost 45,000 travellers from Saudi Arabia visited Salalah over the last two years and Oman’s Ministry of Tourism sent a delegation to participate in the Saudi Tourism Show in Riyadh from June 1 to 4.