Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Dhofar Municipality has cancelled the Salalah Tourism Festival, also known as the Khareef Festival, for this year, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Oman.
A statement issued by Oman TV said: “Dhofar Municipality has cancelled the Salalah Tourism Festival for the year 2020.”
Last year’s Khareef Festival was held between 11 July and 22 August, for a period of 43 days, coinciding with the peak period of the Khareef season.
Khareef season is when the Dhofar region experiences its monsoons that turn the brown landscape green.
The accompanying cool breezes and refreshing mists attract tourists to Salalah and the surrounding areas from Oman, the rest of the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
“Dhofar Governorate is famous for its seasonal weather, locally known as monsoon or Khareef, when it witnesses its best periods of weather,” said the Ministry of Tourism.
“It is draped in lush greenery and its hills surrounded by white fog. Light rains drizzle to cool the air. During this time, the region frequented by many visitors, especially from within Oman and the neighbouring countries.”
