Salalah Tourism Festival opens

The Salalah Tourism Festival (STF) opened on Friday amid mild drizzle, glittering fireworks at the Municipality Recreation Centre in Itin under this season’s theme of ‘Oman, prosperity and development’. The 2017 edition of the STF would have many entertainment programmes ranging from circus, adventure sports, dance and drama. Variety of activities focusing religious, economic, heritage, social and cultural events have been lined up during 63-day festival which would continue till August 31. The highlight of this year’s STF is a multi-cultural, multi-national exhibition in which 35 countries are likely to participate. This exhibition is to open in the second week of July with the elements of traditional art and craft from the respective countries. A dedicated team of Dhofar Municipality has taken charge of the festival. The festival would have several programmes in the festival enclosure and there are some planned at Mirbat, Taqah and traditional souq at Al Hafa. The festival enclosure at Itin is equipped with facilities like food court, restrooms, prayer halls, shopping area, heritage section and a courtyard which depicts traditional way of living of the people of Oman. The festival generates many jobs a recent data suggested that the STF provided 15,000 indirect jobs in different sectors. Several poets, authors, popular singers and stage performers are likely to take part in the festival. The footfall on the opening day was moderate, which is likely to pick up in coming days as many interesting progammes are lined up. Being the first day, many counters were yet to open fully and were seen giving finishing touches. The festival organisers are expecting more footfall in coming days as visitors from GCC countries start coming generally after the Eid celebration is over. Kaushalendra Singh