Salalah greenery draws tourists

The monsoon showers have arrived, as if on appointment, throwing in a resplendent splash of green in Salalah.

At the Seeb International Airport in Muscat, before boarding an Oman Air flight to Salalah, you wonder what is all the rush about? But, when you step out of the flight, you have the answer: Cool breeze gently brushing your face as a starter, then tousling your hair and finally tugging your heart strings.

The sight of all the greenery makes you want to walk and walk. Something one will not want to attempt in the rest of the Gulf, at least not in this sweltering heat.

For most of the tourists from other Gulf countries, this is exactly what they are looking for. For years the Gulf tourists have been looking outward for the summer holidays. They looked for greenery and even rain. But now they have found it in their own region.

Around 52 per cent of the visitors in Salalah during this period itself comprise domestic tourists. Tourists from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia top the list of visitors.

One of the reasons for increase in the number of tourists is the increased awareness in the region today about Salalah and its summer phenomena.

But holiday goers are not drawn to Salalah for beauty alone. Salalah has over the period of years developed its infrastructure to facilitate the flow of visitors.

Today the city has three, four and five star hotels along with apartments giving a variety of options for families and the lone itinerant travellers too.

Travelling has been made easier with increased flight frequencies by Oman Air and with Kuwait Airways winging along. All that a Gulf-based traveller has got to do is to buy a ticket and hop on board.

Once in Salalah, the number one attraction for the tourists continues to be the great outdoors.

But, the hotels are also keeping an open house. If you walk into Hamilton Plaza get ready to be part of family affairs and at Salalah Hilton, the pool is something the kids want to stay in at any time of the day.

The Children's Village is located at the Municipality Recreation Centre, and frequent visitors will surely discern the burgeoning trend of the village. Each year it is getting bigger.

Consumer exhibitions have also been a growing trend. The exhibition at the centre is open every evening during the Khareef. On Tuesdays it is open strictly for women. By midnight men can be seen waiting impatiently at the entrance for their ladies to come out.

The consumer exhibition will be held at the Global Village in Raysut for the second time. This has been the first sign of the private sector involvement in marketing the season as the Global village is organised by Smahram Tourism Resort.

Rukhaya Mohammed is an Omani businesswoman from Muscat who has got her own stall, specialising in cosmetics at the Khareef Festival.

"I bring in the best quality products," she explains. She is happy with her business but says, "the rent should have been cheaper." This is the second time she is returning and that probably means she is not too far away from profit.

She laughs at that and says, "That is true. I have a beautician with me. Why don't you consult her? She'll tell you what's best for you."

Khalid Ahmed is a textile merchant from Jordan but is based in Dubai. It is also the second year for him at the exhibition. This year, all of his merchandise are cotton and French linen. "The colours are cool," he says.

Men being men will always vote for the outdoors. On the way to Eiteen Mountain, perched on a cliff, two tourists from Qatar spread out their majlis mattress with cushion and other picnic paraphernalia. Their pick up is parked nearby and from it they bring out the thermos and pour out 'High Tea'.

In between the sips they tell us about their trip: "We have come driving from Qatar. We passed through the UAE and many villages in Oman before we reached Salalah.

Rashid Al Qubaisi says: "We like camping out and that is why we have brought out with us tents and sleeping bags. It is a safe experience. On our way back we will be going through Saudi Arabia. We are planning to repeat the trip next year and then we would like to bring our families too.

"It is much better than flying off to other destinations. Our usual summer vacations were spent in Europe. But now I find this better, easier and safer."

When asked have the September 11 events anything to do with it, he said: "In many ways I suppose." His friend Mubarak Al Quaisi brought in a few leaves. "We call this Riham." He chewed one leaf and explains how in Qatar they use it in their tea.

And they settled down once again to enjoy the view from the cliff they were sitting on, the valley below and the mountain facing them all in green.

When asked what are they thinking about, Al Quaisi said: "Nothing much except why we do not have this greenery in Qatar. We are a bit jealous."

But perhaps their thoughts drifted, being close to nature, pondering what a simple life their forefathers lived?

"True, this is the way they (our ancestors) lived. My father used to tell us stories about his experiences. Now I have something to tell my children too," Rashid said.