With the onset of the tourist season, the city of Salalah has started receiving visitors from within the Sultanate and other GCC countries, who turn up in large numbers to enjoy the beauty of its mountains, beaches, wonderful surroundings and the cool weather. The season, which starts on June 21, continues until September 21 every year. Salalah turns out to be the major tourist getaway in the region during July and August, and this year it holds the title Capital of the Arab Resorts of 2019.
Most of the coastal wilayats in the Governorate of Dhofar and its surrounding mountains — from the Wilayat of Dhalkout on the west to the Wilayat of Mirbat on the east — have a great climate during this period with light rain, fog and green mountains. The governorate has great tourism features such as white beaches, soft sand, a range of mountains, valleys, flat plains, desert extending to the Empty Quarter, water springs, natural fountains and caves.
Shopping malls and shops in Salalah have also witnessed a remarkable development. The city markets are full of traditional products, particularly frankincense, incense, silver and pottery articles, Omani sweets, meat, fresh milk and agricultural products. The Salalah Agricultural Plain produces several crops including coconut, banana, papaya and sugarcane. It is also blessed with natural reserves, rich livestock and marine resources.
RICH HERITAGE
In addition to being the nature’s bounty, the Governorate of Dhofar has a historical heritage dating back to ancient times.
The Khour Ruri (Samharam) area, an important archaeological site in the Sultanate, has received great attention from the government due to its significance as one of the most prominent areas of human settlement in the prehistoric period.
Al Baleed Archaeological Park is another important site to be visited, in addition to the Samharam Park and the fortresses in the wilayats of Taqah, Mirbat and Sadah. There are many other historical and archaeological sites in the governorate.
Besides the beautiful plains and mountain ranges, the splendid spots that tourists throng are water springs scattered throughout the governorate, mainly Razat, Garziz, Hamran, Sahlnout, Athum and Darbat.
Al Mughsayl beach attracts many tourists to see the Cave of Al Marnif and natural fountains. At the Anti-Gravity Point in Tawe Attir, visitors can have the wonderful experience of their cars going up the hill on neutral gear (without any acceleration). The Anti-Gravity Point is located at the beginning of Aqabat Hasheer, off the main road to Mirbat City.
Dhofar boasts many natural caves such as Ateen Cave near Ein Garziz, 10 kilometres from the City of Salalah, and the most popular Cave of Razat, in addition to the Caves of Wadi Darbat, characterised by natural arches with inscriptions and drawings on the walls. They are unique because of the diversity of hanging limestone deposits on its ceilings.
A visit to the caves gives us a rare opportunity to learn about the geological formations of the caves and their evolution over thousands of years.
The government and private agencies have made necessary arrangements to receive tourists by offering them all facilities and services. Last year, 826,376 people visited Salalah during the tourism season compared to 644,931 in 2017, an increase of 28.1 per cent, according to the survey carried out by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and the Royal Oman Police (ROP).