Hopefully, we are coming to the end of peak summer months and back to school in the Sultanate of Oman.
As most governorates of the country were sweltering with highly unbearable temperatures, the entire region travelled down south to Dhofar, and going by the latest statistics, preparations to promote this unique khareef tourism seem to have gone well.
There have been fewer complaints this year, including about those annoying mosquitoes. The only area of contention has been the traffic chaos on some narrow roads of Salalah, which is understandable due to the unprecedented inflow of tourists from the rest of the region.
Khareef will be over soon, and we must prepare for winter tourism season in the rest of the country, including here in the capital Muscat.
What we can learn from Salalah is that even some good short-term projects are important, instead of focusing on big ticket projects and they take some years to implement.
Despite the regular bad news coming out of the troubled places around us, Oman continues to be one of the safest places for tourists and we should be ready to welcome guests with lots of new offerings.
Muscat Municipality has recently indicated that the annual Muscat Festival is on the cards this year without specifying the actual dates.
It will be a good idea to have Muscat Festival at the time when tourist inflow is at its peak, which seems to be December and January, instead of January-February.
Let us hope that the festival in the capital will be a healthy competition to Salalah Khareef by giving tourists to come under one roof and celebrate the cultural and social diversity of this country.
The Minister of Heritage and Tourism rightly said that the Sultanate of Oman is the best place for tourists to get a local experience by interacting with citizens.
“The Sultanate of Oman can offer tourists a slice of history, geography, natural landscape, adventure, culture and heritage, and more. The best time to be in Oman is winter, while the southern part of the country is a destination throughout the year.”
Lot of ambitious projects announced earlier are unlikely to be completed during this season, but they hold good for the future of tourism in Oman.
Going by numbers, Oman received over two million visitors this year and going by the trends, we should beat the expectations by the year-end.
The launch of the Unified GCC visa will be an added advantage if implemented this year as mentioned by the authorities at the highest level.
The unified visa will be a game-changer for regional tourism and Middle East airlines.
It simplifies the travel process, making it easier for tourists to explore multiple destinations within the GCC region. For airlines, this translates into increased passenger traffic. The unified visa is expected to boost demand for regional travel, enhance connectivity, and support economic growth through tourism.
It also fosters greater collaboration among GCC countries, positioning the region as a cohesive and attractive tourism destination.
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