Khareef season begins in Dhofar

Salalah: The Governorate of Dhofar started receiving visitors from inside and outside the Sultanate to enjoy the Khareef Season, which runs from June 21 to September 21 every year.
Khareef is a unique phenomenon in the Sultanate that affects most costal wilayats in the Governorate of Dhofar from the Wilayat of Dhalkut in the west till the Wilayat of Mirbat in the east.
The phenomenon is called monsoon.
During this season, Salalah becomes a tourist destination for family tourism from the Sultanate and the Gulf region. During this unique climatic condition, private and public sector organisations prepare to receive visitors and tourists by providing them with the facilitates and services that meet their needs.
The Governorate of Dhofar has tourism elements that include various natural environments, such as silver beaches, sands, a range of mountains, valleys, flat plains, desert extending to the Empty Quarter, water springs throughout the country, natural fountains and various caves.
The Al Baleed Archaeological Park is considered one of the most important sites to be visited.
It includes the Land of Frankincense Museum, which includes a comprehensive view of the Sultanate in its different regions and time stages, in addition to the historical Samharam Park and historic castles in the Wilayats of Taqah, Mirbat and Sadah.
The governorate is famous for its production of frankincense, whose tree is a symbol of the Governorate of Dhofar, and represents the main trade item in the south of the Arabian Peninsula in the past and an important source of income. There are also some beautiful tourist attractions that tourists are keen to visit, such as the plains and mountains, especially Ittin Plain, and the Hamreer Plain, as well as the main water springs scattered throughout the governorate, mainly Rizat, Garziz, Hamran, Sahalnot, Athom and Darbat.
The Al Mughsail Beach area attracts many tourists to see Al Marnif Cave, natural fountains, visiting traditional markets, frankincense shops, Omani sweets, and local fresh produce shops, especially bananas, papaya, sugarcane and coconut.
Accommodation services in the governorate, hotels in Salalah have begun to prepare for the reception of their customers during Khareef Season, as well as hotel apartments through maintenance and development.
Salalah is witnessing the addition of several accommodation sites to various levels to accommodate the increasing numbers of tourists in Khareef Season. The number of hotel establishments in Governorate of Dhofar is 32 establishments with 3499 hotel rooms with an expected 1851 hotel rooms by the end of this year.
The malls and shops of the city are also witnessing a remarkable development, in addition to the Salalah markets, which are rich in the traditional products and industries of the season, especially the shops selling frankincense, incense, silver industries, bakery, Omani sweets and agricultural products.
The Ministry of Tourism has updated the printing of the tourist map of Dhofar for the year 2018, in addition to providing essential services for visitors, such as the operation of temporary tourist information centers, in addition to the permanent centers at land outlets and Salalah Airport, as well as the municipality recreational center.
The centers provide tourist information, assistance and guidance to visitors and tourists, and provide them with brochures and guide maps that include data on hotels, hotel apartments, restaurants, markets, tourist attractions, archaeological sites and fuel stations, in addition to their remarks and suggestions.
The National Centre for Statistics and Information began conducting Khareef Salalah 2018 Visitors Survey which will continue till September 21st.
The survey, which is carried out for the 15th successive year, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Royal Oman Police contributes to providing data and information that reflect the status of tourism sector in the Governorate of Dhofar during the Khareef season.
Such data will help in planning for this vital sector.
The project aims at identifying the size of local and foreign tourism during the Khareef season and decide the growth trends during the past periods.
It also aims at studying the demographic and economic features of visitors and the tours.
According to Khareef Salalah 2017 Visitors Survey, the total number of visitors last year stood at 644,931, while the total expenditure in the Khareef season last year amounted to RO66.3 million.