Empty Quarter Festival boosts tourism

Thumrait: The activities of the first edition of Empty Quarter Festival concluded, at Al Khazaf Area, Niyabat of Al Shaser in the Wilayat of Thumrait in Dhofar Governorate on Saturday.

The festival, which continued for seven days, was organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in cooperation with a number of government departments and private sector companies and establishments.

The activities of the festival included training workshop on the teamwork skills and a five - kilometre walk.

The activities of conclusion ceremony comprised cleanliness campaign in the area, a campaign for planting trees and landscaping work, which coincided with the Omani Environment Day organised in cooperation with the Frankincense Team under the patronage of Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Al Sai'ari, Advisor to the Chairman of the Environment Affairs Authority and Acting Director General of the Directorate General of Environment in Dhofar Governorate.

Khalid Abdullah Al Abri, Director General of the Directorate General of Heritage and Culture in Dhofar Governorate said that the organisation of the first edition of the Empty Quarter Festival came within the efforts of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for encouraging internal tourism and utilisation of   various tourism and natural foundations of the Sultanate.

The first edition of the festival attracted a large number of visitors and tourists from within and outside the Sultanate, he added.

Al Abri has also valued the efforts exerted by the Organising Committee of the Empty Quarter Festival, and the cooperation of the government departments, mainly the  Office of the Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar, Dhofar Municipality, the Authority for SMEs Development and the private sector companies and establishment.