The New York Times has listed Salalah among 52 tourist destinations to visit this year. The only other place from the Arab world to feature in the list is Tassili n’Ajjer of Algeria. Other featured places include India’s Kerala, New Zealand’s Auckland and Japan’s Morioka.

“Depending on when you go, the area is either lush and green and blanketed in thick fog, or basking in sunlight and a warm breeze. During the khareef (monsoon), the valleys and riverbeds are flooded with fresh water, and the mountains flow with waterfalls. The city is also home to Al Baleed Archaeological Park and the Museum of the Frankincense Land, which provides a visual history of the ancient incense trade and the associated export routes to the rest of the world. (A nearby collection of sites, known as the Land of Frankincense, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List). Another draw is the collection of historical ports spread along the coast. The population of Salalah, one of Oman’s largest cities, is around 330,000, so it’s easy to find oneself alone in the crystal clear waters of the area’s many tranquil beaches, including Mugsail, Fazayah and Haffa,” the paper says.

Modern day Dhofar is more famous for its white sandy beaches and the selection of four- and five-star beachfront hotels springing up in Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITC), a growing trend in Oman’s tourist industry.

Several international airlines have started khareef season special flights to Salalah, including the low-cost airline Wizz Air, with two weekly flights from Abu Dhabi, and Gulf Air also operating two weekly flights from Bahrain.

Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways together operate six weekly flights from Kuwait, while Flynas flies four weekly flights from Riyadh.

Salalah Airport recorded a 68.9-per cent increase in the number of flights (international and domestic) to 2,743 till the end of May 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, according to statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

With the beginning of the winter season in Dhofar Governorate, a number of the European tourist groups are making a beeline to the governorate.

Dhofar Governorate began receiving European tourist groups after the arrival of the first direct flights for the winter tourism season from Czech and Slovakia to Salalah Airport, as part of the strategy of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism in promoting the governorate as a tourist destination throughout the year.

The governorate is also rich in many natural reserves such as the Jabal Samhan Reserve, the Wadi Dawkah Reserve for frankincense trees, and the Al Akhwar Reserves that extend on the coast of governorate.

Wildlife and large numbers of migratory and visiting birds are also found in Dhofar Governorate. One can engage in climbing, hiking or dune bashing or watching dolphins, whales and birds.

Source: Oman observer