Preparations underway for safe, attractive business during Dhofar Khareef Season 2025
Mohammed Khalifa Al Badrani, Director General of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion in Dhofar, stated that the Khareef season presents a significant opportunity to revitalize commercial and economic activity in Dhofar. This necessitates intensified oversight of commercial establishments to ensure compliance with legal and professional requirements, as well as educating shop owners on sound business practices that stimulate market activity and safeguard consumer rights. He emphasized the importance of monitoring essential requirements in commercial outlets, such as electronic payment systems, to facilitate service provision for targeted businesses.
In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), he explained that the Directorate has been conducting comprehensive inspection campaigns for several months, covering markets, commercial complexes, restaurants, hotels, and retail outlets, to verify compliance with health regulations and commercial business laws.
He added that the Directorate, in collaboration with relevant authorities, is organizing workshops and awareness sessions for merchants and business owners to promote a culture of compliance and innovation in service delivery, aligning with visitor expectations during the Khareef season.
Al Badrani noted that Dhofar Governorate has seen significant growth in the commercial sector, with 718 commercial registrations recorded by the end of Q1 2025, reflecting the sector's vitality and increasing investment interest in the governorate. He highlighted that construction and contracting activities topped the list of the most licensed commercial activities, with a total of 2,100 licenses issued by the end of Q1 2025, compared to 1,274 licenses in 2024—demonstrating the momentum in Dhofar's construction and infrastructure sectors.
As for new investments in the governorate, he clarified that the number of new investors in Q1 2025 reached 1,217, with 88 commercial registrations issued, reflecting investor confidence in Dhofar's economic environment. He credited the Directorate's role in facilitating procedures and providing necessary support to investors while working to localize commercial projects that enhance trade and industrial activity across Dhofar's wilayats. Efforts are also underway to integrate industrial cities, free zones, and optimal utilization of Salalah Port to boost commercial activities.
Al Badrani pointed out that the number of commercial licenses issued in Q1 2025 reached 9,527, compared to 13,800 in 2024, attributing the decline to the reorganization of certain commercial activities and updated procedures to ensure higher service quality and operational sustainability. In the industrial sector, 1,155 industrial licenses were issued in Q1 2025, compared to 1,742 during the same period in 2024.
He affirmed that this year's Khareef season preparations follow an integrated action plan in coordination with Dhofar Municipality, the Royal Oman Police, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Consumer Protection Authority. This collaborative effort aims to provide a secure investment and business environment, enhancing the governorate's appeal as an investment and tourism destination.
Al Badrani explained that Dhofar Governorate is intensifying preparations for the Khareef season, which attracts large numbers of visitors and tourists from within and outside Oman. A comprehensive plan ensures the readiness of various service and regulatory sectors, with field teams already conducting fuel station inspections to verify supply availability and equipment safety. Markets are also being monitored to ensure compliance with health and environmental standards, along with the provision of essential goods at reasonable prices. Awareness campaigns targeting merchants and consumers promote safe purchasing practices and deter negative behaviors, while hotlines operate around the clock to receive feedback and inquiries, ensuring swift responses and boosting visitor confidence in services.
He added that the Directorate aims to provide consumers and visitors with a comfortable and secure shopping experience by improving sales facilities and strategically distributing commercial activities based on expected demand. All business operators are urged to adhere to legal requirements and approved standards. Concurrently, continuous efforts are being made to educate investors on leveraging the economic opportunities presented by the Khareef season, which directly stimulates commercial and industrial activity while enhancing the governorate's business environment—contributing to local economic growth and elevating services for both citizens and visitors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
6 minutes ago
- Times of Oman
Gulf Conference in Salalah recommends enhancing workforce productivity through emotional intelligence
Salalah — The 14th Gulf Conference for Developing Human Resource Productivity, held in Salalah, emphasized the importance of promoting self-awareness and core emotional intelligence skills in the workplace. It called for advancing knowledge, skills, and practices through professional certification programs. The conference highlighted the role of emotional intelligence in boosting productivity and urged the effective use of its tools and methodologies to improve work environments. The conference encouraged experts and stakeholders to establish a Gulf or Arab association for emotional intelligence to promote its culture across all sectors and support its integration into education and professional development systems. It stressed the importance of shifting from a culture of "control and command" to one of "trust and inspiration." These recommendations concluded the two-day event, organized by Al Asayel Conferences in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, the Dhofar Governor's Office, and the Dhofar Branch of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The conference aimed to raise awareness about the importance of emotional intelligence in work environments, present practical strategies to enhance productivity, and provide a platform for exchanging regional and international experiences. The final day featured specialized sessions on the relationship between emotional intelligence and artificial intelligence, effective leadership, and measuring and improving productivity. It also included interactive meetings and discussions with local and international experts in human resource development.
Times of Oman
6 minutes ago
- Times of Oman
Social innovation conference opens in Salalah
Salalah: A social innovation conference was organized today in the city of Salalah by Al Roya newspaper in cooperation with the Regional Network for Social Responsibility. The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar. Hatim Hamad Al Taie, Editor-in-Chief of Al Roya newspaper, gave a speech in which he addressed the importance of ethical responsibility in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In his speech, he laid emphasis on striking a balance between innovation and protection of privacy, ensuring the fair use of data and implementing principles of transparency. Al Taie also called on companies to adopt models of responsible use of AI as part of their social responsibility strategies. The speech was followed by the conference statement delivered by Dr. Youssef Abdel Ghaffar, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Regional Network for Social Responsibility. Dr. Youssef stressed the importance of adopting national policies that support social innovation, building partnerships between the private sector and youth and providing digital platforms to showcase emerging social solutions, enhancing training and empowering young leaders. He outlined the experience of Nama company in the Sultanate of Oman, which launched 150 innovative social projects over three years. He also spoke about an initiative named "Feena Khair" in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that benefited more than 500,000 students, as part of a drive to promote volunteering and active citizenship. Mohammed Bakhit Al Shahri, a representative of Dhofar branch of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), highlighted Oman Vision 2040 which, he said, makes innovation a pillar of sustainable knowledge economy. Al Shahri stressed the importance of supporting entrepreneurs and innovators and linking promising ideas with investment opportunities through strategic partnerships. For his part, Eng. Hamid Abdullah Al Abdali, General Manager of supply chains at Oman Broadband Company, spoke about the company's contributions to self-employment and training of jobseekers on fibre-optic connectivity. Al Abdali pointed out that the company's initiatives included launching a new programme to support local added value for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with total spending worth about RO 36 million. The conference discussed three main topics. The first was titled "Arab Youth: From initiatives to entrepreneurship and social innovation". The second topic focused on empowering youth to engage in social innovation and the third topic dealt with the role of establishments and institutions in empowering youth to engage in social innovation. The conference also included 8 working papers, a number of presentations, a panel discussion and three training workshops titled: 'Using AI in innovation to enhance community projects"; "Using inspiration economy to empower youth to address social challenges" and "Designing innovative community initiatives."
Times of Oman
7 hours ago
- Times of Oman
OAB says approved housing loans provided in Dhofar Governorate exceeded OMR5 million in 2024
Salalah: Oman Housing Bank (OAB) has announced that the total value of housing loans provided in Dhofar Governorate since the branch's establishment has surpassed OMR151 million, distributed among 7,620 housing loans across various wilayats. Musa Masoud Al Jadidi, CEO of Oman Housing Bank, stated that housing loans in the governorate saw a 4 percent increase in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 as the bank approved 112 housing loans in 2024 with a total value exceeding OMR5 million. He affirmed that these positive results reflect the bank's continuous developmental role in supporting and meeting citizens' housing needs. Al Jadidi noted that the bank has cleared all waiting lists for citizens who applied for housing loans in Dhofar Governorate after completing the disbursement of approved applications. The bank has also begun accelerating the process for citizens in other governorates, which contributes to enhancing family stability and empowering them to own suitable homes. This comes as part of the bank's strategy to provide modern and effective housing solutions that help achieve the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 in improving the quality of life for citizens.
