The Empty Quarter Festival in Dhofar will showcase elements of winter tourism, introduce them to prospective investors and create job opportunities for the youths in the Sultanate of Oman.
The festival in its second edition in the Al Khuff area in Niyabat al Shisr in the Wilayat of Thamrait will be for 10 days from January 25 to February 3.
The General Directorate of Heritage and Tourism in Dhofar Governorate organized the activities of the Empty Quarter Festival. The festival is part of the ministry's efforts to achieve the vision of the tourism development plan for the Governorate of Dhofar to make it a sustainable tourism destination throughout the year.
Khalid bin Abdullah al Abri, General-Director of the General Directorate of Heritage and Tourism in Dhofar Governorate, said, "During its beginning, the festival will host many heritage, tourism, entertainment, and sports events, in addition to competitions, marketing exhibitions, and various artistic concerts. We also point out that the period of the festival is to coincide with the influx of tourism. The Directorate seeks to place this festival within the map of regional tourism festivals, which qualifies it to host the international desert championships and stimulates the desire of tourism partners to compete to support and sponsor the festival, which brings economic and marketing returns to the Sultanate of Oman.”
The festival includes important activities, notably the children's theatre in the festival oasis, among the entertainment and family activities. Furthermore, paragliding and the sliding track between the sand dunes are set up for the first time in cooperation with one of the civil institutions in the Dhofar Governorate. This is in addition to organising a shooting competition with traditional weapons and a sand challenge competition with four-wheel drive vehicles.
The establishment of festivals, sports, and cultural events in the governorates during the winter season enhances domestic tourism and generates revenues for different segments of society. As the tourism sector is able to provide job opportunities for citizens, there are efforts to provide more jobs in the sector by linking each tourism project with the job opportunities it provides.
The tourism sector also contributes to the gross domestic product by gradually reaching 3 percent last year, and the sector has a great ability to raise the added value and provide job opportunities.
The fall of 2022 witnessed a great demand from young people and small and medium-sized companies to take advantage of temporary job opportunities. Also, to be an active part in the organisation, promotion, and marketing of the festival and its events and activities. In addition to opening the opportunity for them to stand out, and empowering the small and medium enterprises sector and entrepreneurship of its role in economic development, based on the belief in the importance of this sector, which is a tributary to the efforts of economic diversification and a major participant in providing job opportunities for national cadres.
The participation of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development in Dhofar Governorate comes as part of its partnership with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and civil society institutions since the first edition.
Abdul Hakim bin Amer al Hadary, Assistant Director of the Department for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Dhofar Governorate, said, “In this version, our goal in participation is to highlight small- and medium-sized enterprises and craft institutions by introducing their products and finding marketing outlets for them as well. Our participation is represented in organizing and supervising the heritage Wbar Village to have products for craftsmen, productive families in it, and creating an environment commensurate with the nature of the desert in terms of activities and investment in tourism potentials such as sand dunes, for example, but not limited to, and the commission continues in such participations and always seeks to develop its participation too.”
He also added that the number of participants in the village reached about 20 craft establishments and producers’ families. There is, for example, a date shop in the village, an Omani Halwa shop, and a poetry tent that hosts Bedouin activities.
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