Muscat – The season, which started on June 21st will continue for ninety days until September 20th. It promises a blend of exceptional events and global attractions amid cool weather and stunning natural landscapes, creating a unique tourist experience.

His Highness Sayyid Marwan bin Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar, described the governorate’s unique annual season as a divine gift that begins every year on June 21st. He emphasized that Dhofar is the ideal destination, offering wonderful weather, breathtaking natural scenery, exceptional events, and diverse environments such as marine, plains, and mountainous regions. Additionally, its rich cultural and historical diversity makes it a perfect tourist destination catering to all tastes.

His Highness pointed out that the Dhofar Khareef Season is the ideal choice for family and individual tourism. Last year, the governorate welcomed nearly one million visitors. He underscored the importance of enhancing the tourism role of the governorate, which is a vital economic driver and contributes to empowering Omani entrepreneurs. An ambitious plan has been set to enhance and develop many tourist sites, such as natural viewpoints, waterfronts, and water spring sites, with a focus on environmental sustainability.

This year’s khareef season is distinguished by extending the event period to 90 days, providing visitors with a longer opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the governorate and its diverse activities and events. His Highness emphasized the commitment of the concerned government agencies and the private sector to provide a unique tourist experience for all visitors to the governorate by increasing event sites and their types, in addition to providing all services and facilities.

Dr. Ahmed bin Mohsin Al Ghassani, Chairman of Dhofar Municipality, presented the main events of the Khareef Season 2024, which will be distributed across several existing and new sites, aiming to provide citizens, residents, and visitors with new, exciting, and thrilling experiences. He highlighted that this year’s events focus on five main themes: environment and public health, youth, children, culture, and arts.
Last year’s autumn season events achieved unprecedented turnout, with visitor numbers ranging between 400,000 and 800,000 per site. Over 150 events were held last year, covering artistic, sports, cultural, heritage, and entertainment aspects.

This year, the number of events is expected to reach 180. The beneficiaries from the youth and small and medium enterprises from all over Oman last season numbered 1,733 individuals and institutions, with 334 operating companies. More sites have been allocated this year for small and medium enterprises, providing more than 500 additional opportunities, creating temporary jobs for thousands of young people.

Dhofar Municipality is keen to enhance the accompanying events of Dhofar Khareef Season 2024 by holding them in various locations and wilayats, including Thumrait, Taqah, Mirbat, and Sadah. The focus will be on various cultural, commercial, and entertainment activities, alongside hosting specialized global exhibitions at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Salalah.

Ammar bin Obaid Ghawas, Director of Events and Awareness at Dhofar Municipality, mentioned that young visitors of the autumn will have numerous new and diverse events in various fields such as sports and entertainment. ‘Itin Square’ will host many completely new and different games compared to previous years, along with a theater equipped with the latest technologies for various global shows. Visitors will also enjoy lighting displays, laser fountain shows, and drone shows, which are the largest in terms of number and duration this year.

The sports activities will be varied to suit different tastes and interests. For the first time, Salalah Public Park will host weekly events to encourage endurance and physical strength sports. Several sports fields and equipment will be dedicated to sports activities during Dhofar Autumn Season. The ‘Salalah International Cycling Tour’ will return with more distinction, having been officially registered and accredited by the International Cycling Union, covering four stages with over 100 cyclists from different countries, enhancing sports tourism in the governorate. Car enthusiasts of all ages can look forward to events by the Oman Automobile Association, full of speed, challenge, and competition, held at the ‘Celebration Square’. The Dhofar International Drag Race Championship will see wide participation from the Gulf Arab countries at the Al Damar beach in Mirbat. The traditional weapons shooting competition will be the largest this year in terms of prizes and the number of local and Gulf participants.

Regarding children’s activities, the Director of Events and Awareness mentioned that the autumn calendar is rich with many events, one of which is ‘Kiddy Time’ at the Awqad Public Park, which attracts many new and unique activities that will amaze and delight children, including several global villages and cities, as well as interactive global shows and beloved characters that children can interact and play with. Spaces in Salalah Public Park are designated for weekly sports activities for children of different age groups.
The entertainment options will be completed with the ‘Up Town’ entertainment city in Eteen Plain, which includes various electric and air games suitable for all age groups, and features a modern and fully serviced environment with aesthetic planning that provides walkways and green spaces.

In the cultural axis, ‘Return of the Past’ village will include many activities and events that mimic the various environments of Dhofar Governorate, such as urban, rural, Bedouin, marine, and agricultural settings. It will also offer a new cultural heritage experience by hosting Omani wilayats from outside the governorate for the first time, including Sur, Nizwa, and Sohar, with plans to expand the experience in upcoming seasons to host other wilayats from all governorates of the Sultanate. The village will reflect the rich civilizational and cultural heritage of the Sultanate through arts and events square and diverse traditional markets with live performances and arts showcasing Omani culture. There will also be many cultural events in various wilayats of the governorate aimed at highlighting the national identity and attracting tourists, introducing them to the unique Omani culture through specialized exhibitions, conferences, informative workshops, and theatrical performances.

For the first time, the governorate will host the Dhofar International Theater Festival, with theatrical groups participating from inside and outside Oman. The festival will include six tracks for different types of theater: adults, children, public theater, monodrama, duo-drama, and street theater. Each track is like a mini-festival with its own participants, guests, and judging panels. The festival will host elite artists worldwide in its quest to be the first in the Arab world and among the top globally in terms of organization, attracting the best global shows, the value of prizes, the diversity of tracks, and the prominence of guests.

Dhofar Governorate is one of the important tourist destinations locally, regionally, and globally due to its stunning nature and attraction of diverse global events. The number of visitors for this season is expected to exceed one million, especially with direct flights to Salalah Airport from various Gulf Cooperation Council countries.