Khareef's first drop and the price of paradise

Observer

07-05-2025

When Salalah's first raindrop kisses the parched earth you can almost taste the sweet tang of wet frankincense on the breeze and hear the hush that falls just before the downpour. You might even catch the faint rumble of clouds on the horizon or the flutter of birds preparing for the storm. Children dart through newly carved wadis, their laughter echoing against slick stones. Behind that joy clings plastic the ghost of careless footsteps tangled in reeds and choking streams.
Every khareef more than 200,000 visitors, Omani families and guests alike, pour into Dhofar's green valleys eager for cool air and cascading waterfalls. Oman Vision 2040 sets a national target of 11 million tourists by 2040 so our numbers will only grow. Yet each season Salalah's beauty is tested by this surge. In Wadi Darbat litter collects along the trails prompting enhanced clean up plans before the season begins. Volunteers from the Green Dhofar campaign, including many university students, collected nearly nine tonnes of trash between October and December 2023. Our love for this land is clear; the question is whether we are doing enough to care for it.
Half a world away, Hawaii has answered a similar call. Beginning in 2026 visitors there will pay a small green fee of 0.75 cents added at checkout to hotel and cruise bills, with every dollar directed towards climate action and environmental conservation. An expected $100 million each year will restore eroded beaches, reduce wildfire risk and protect coral reefs. It is the first statewide tourism tax in the United States devoted entirely to conserving natural heritage and it carries a simple message: those who enjoy a place's beauty share responsibility for its upkeep.
What if Oman made a similar pledge in Dhofar? A modest khareef contribution folded into every hotel bill or visa payment could help cover the cost of conserving its natural beauty. Local hoteliers and guides I've spoken with say they would welcome a small charge, if it kept sites clean and preserved our waters. True hospitality goes beyond open doors; it is the promise that what we welcome today will still inspire generations to come.
Destinations around the world are learning that tourism and local recreation must help pay their way. Palau asks each visitor for a contribution to marine protection of $100. Bhutan includes a sustainable tourism fee in its daily packages. New Zealand is expanding its conservation levy. None of these measures drove travellers away. They drew in conscientious explorers who see a fee not as a toll but as a token of respect.
For Oman the smallest gesture can carry the greatest meaning. Imagine a handful of baisas folded into your room rate, barely more than the price of a cup of Karak, collected as easily as a booking confirmation. In return, you see frankincense-shaped bins dotting the wadis, local artists painting simple signs urging us all to tread lightly and a roadside board tracking how many kilos of waste have been reclaimed. We do not need marble halls or sprawling endowments. We need the quiet pulse of a community taking care of its own: families, guides and shopkeepers each doing their part in real time.
In that quiet space after the rain, when droplets rest on leaves and the air feels born anew, we remember that caring for paradise is an act both simple and profound. I sincerely hope that every grateful footstep here becomes a promise to protect this land we call home.