Visitors to the annual Khareef Festival in Salalah, Oman’s second largest city, is expected to increase this year, said the organisers.

The Khareef Festival, held in the mountains of southern Oman to celebrate the monsoon, started in June, and will be held until the end of September, said Oman’s Ministry of Tourism.

Previous festivals have included a three-kilometre carnival area with 1,000 participants, games, rides, international cuisine, concerts and a shopping festival.

“Visitors to Salalah during the Khareef Festival are attracted to the region for the variety of activities, cultural displays and family friendly atmosphere,” said Salem Al Mamari, director general of tourism promotions, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism.

“Salalah also attracts tourists due to the attractive coastline, mountains, valleys and pleasant temperature. This year we have focused on heavily promoting these aspects of the festival. We are expecting growth in the numbers of visitors coming to the region,” he added.

Numbers of tourists to Salalah have remained positive over recent years as a result of substantial tourism infrastructure developments and investment.

There has been significant recent infrastructure investment in the Port of Salalah and Salalah’s Unesco protected frankincense sites.

According to a recent report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism to the Sultanate of Oman is set to reach $7 billion by 2019. – TradeArabia News Service