Last few days of Oman’s Khareef season - but Dhofar charm will remain

Muscat: Mist-laden days in Oman’s Dhofar province will continue only for some more days as the annual Khareef comes to an end this month. But going by the trend of visitors, destination management experts say the charm of the region will continue to attract more people from other parts of the country as well as from the GCC.

Ahmed Al Housary, working with Omran, (Oman Tourism Development Company) which is the executive arm of the Sultanate for dealing with tourism initiatives and development, said with ambiguity still surrounding international travel, people in Oman will continue exploring domestic destinations. “Salalah will continue to be the favourite destination in Oman currently due to the Khareef charm. Additionally, domestic travel and family holidays will continue till mid -September, which is when schools will resume for new academic year and term.”

Hotels in Salalah are allowed to operate only with 75 per cent occupancy due to the pandemic-related restrictions. With the season nearing an end soon, hotel operators are expecting an announcement from the government raising the occupancy to 100 per cent, though only for a short term due to season ending.