MUSCAT: The Jabal Al Akhdar Tourism Festival, organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, kicked off on Tuesday, August 23 in Oman.

The festival is being organised in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Al Dakhiliyah, the Office of the Wali of Jabal Al Akhdar and the Oman team on horseback. The festival includes many entertainment and tourism activities which will last for five days.

The festival activities were launched with a tour of the mountains riding on horses. This was held in cooperation with the Oman team on horseback, which is the first of its kind in the state.

Sheikh Ali bin Muhammad al-Busaidi, Wali of Jabal Al-Akhdar, as delegate of the occasion, said, “The Jabal Al-Akhdar Tourism Festival is the first of its kind in the state. We value the efforts taken to organising it and hope that the festival will become an annual event in the Wilayat of Jabal Al-Akhdar.”

Haitham bin Mohammed Al Ghassani, Director General of Promotion at the General Directorate of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, said, “The festival is part of a series of events implemented by the ministry this year with the aim of enriching tourist destinations and highlighting the heritage and culture of these tourist attractions in the Sultanate of Oman.”

He stressed that the selection of sites for holding events and activities was carefully designed owing their importance and their natural environment. The focus is on the unique tourist sites that the Sultanate of Oman can boost along with the serene nature and diverse terrain, attracting different types of tourists (those interested in heritage, nature, adventure, sports and lifestyle).

For his part, Saif bin Ali Al-Rawahi, head of the Oman Riding Team, said, “The establishment of such festivals in the governorates has become a necessity with the government’s directions for decentralisation in the Sultanate of Oman. This approach will contribute to the development of the governorates economically and touristically.” The festival will contribute to promoting and highlighting the tourism potentials of Wilayat of Jabal Akhdar, he said.

Dr. Bassam Al-Aqeel from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one of the jockeys participating in the mountain walk, said that this participation is his first in the Sultanate of Oman, praising the splendor of the Jabal Al-Akhdar’s different landscapes and terrain, in addition to the good reception and organization of the festival.

The Jabal Al Akhdar Tourism Festival comes within the agenda of the activities implemented by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in cooperation with government and private agencies. 

This festival would aid in various tourism development programs and is in line with the Oman 2040 vision.