Dhofar gears up for Khareef 2025 with new tourism projects and expanded promotions

Times of Oman

11-06-2025

Muscat: Dhofar Governorate is set to welcome visitors for the 2025 Khareef season with an array of new tourism projects and intensified promotional efforts, building upon its already rich offerings. The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MoHT) is actively opening new facilities and refining strategies to enhance the visitor experience and boost tourist numbers.
New additions to Dhofar's tourism landscape
In preparation for the upcoming Khareef season, several new tourism projects are being inaugurated:
• The Dhofar Private Museum
• A three-star hotel in Mirbat with 84 rooms
• Luxury hotel apartments in Salalah boasting 216 rooms
These additions bring the total number of licensed residential and commercial buildings in Dhofar to 100, collectively offering over 8,000 hotel rooms. Furthermore, a new tourist information center will open at the Haffa Beach Market to better serve visitors.
Dhofar: A Unique Summer Escape
Khalid bin Abdullah Al Abri, Director General of the Directorate General of Heritage and Tourism in Dhofar Governorate, highlighted Dhofar's distinct appeal as a summer destination. He noted its exceptional climate during Khareef, which draws diverse visitors from across the globe. The governorate's natural diversity, encompassing beaches, mountain valleys, golden sands, and nature reserves, creates an ideal setting for adventure, water sports, camping, fishing, turtle watching, and kitesurfing. Additionally, visitors can explore traditional shipbuilding workshops, adding a cultural dimension to their experience. The presence of green turtles nesting from June to August further enhances its unique tourist appeal.
Strategic Promotional Plan
The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has developed a comprehensive action plan for the Dhofar Khareef season's tourism promotion, alongside a broader marketing program for all tourism seasons this year. This proactive approach aims to attract various segments of the global market.
Key promotional activities include:
• Targeting foreign markets through tailored programs, workshops, field visits, and media newsletters.
• Participation in the Arabian Travel Market 2025 exhibition in Dubai, where Dhofar Municipality's Chairman announced the season's events.
• Organising promotional workshops in Saudi Arabia to highlight new direct flights to Salalah Airport via Flynas and Flyadeal, with collaboration from Omani airports and tourism companies.
• A press conference in Kuwait with Dhofar Municipality to promote the 2025 Dhofar Autumn Season's programs and events.
• A special promotional campaign in Kuwait coinciding with Eid Al Adha, featuring information, offers, and packages, supported by direct flights from Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways.
Objectives for Khareef 2025
The Ministry aims to achieve three main objectives through its promotional programs for the upcoming season:
1) Promote the entire 100-day period of the Khareef season, starting from its beginning.
2) Distribute tourist flow more evenly by segmenting the season (June 21 to September 21) into three periods to manage peak times:
• Period 1 (June 21 - July 14): Expected hotel occupancy rates of 35-40%.
• Period 2 (July 15 - August 30): Considered the peak tourist season.
• Period 3 (September 1 - October 10): Expected hotel occupancy rates of 30-35%, with efforts to shift regional and international conferences to this period.
3) Increase tourist numbers from GCC markets by intensifying marketing campaigns and leveraging the expanding airline network, especially direct flights from Saudi Arabia via Saudi Airlines and Flyadeal (a new operator to Dhofar). Flynas will continue its direct flights to Salalah.
The Ministry is also collaborating with tourism sector partners to design appealing tourism packages. These packages aim to boost domestic and Gulf tourism during off-peak times, such as the start of the school year, by maximizing direct flights from key Gulf markets.
The Dhofar Khareef season has consistently shown strong growth. In 2024, the number of visitors reached 1,048,000, marking a 9% increase compared to the 962,000 visitors recorded in 2023, underscoring the region's increasing popularity as a premier tourist destination.