JEDDAH, 25 May 2005 — Oman concluded its first road show in the Kingdom successfully with a presentation in Jeddah especially promoting visits to Salalah during the popular Khareef Festival from June 21 to Aug. 11.
“We expect the number of Saudis visiting Salalah this year to be at least double, because they have come to know Salalah better,” Ghazi Ahmed Qatan, Ministry of Tourism’s promotion officer for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, based in Dubai, told Arab News.
Qatan said it planned to open offices in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam and Kuwait. “The procedure is on and these will be opened soon,” he added.
Naif Ahmed Gaboob, head of activities, festival department, Khareef Salalah, said that 7,854 Saudis visited Salalah during the Khareef Festival last year, the number being second to the United Arab Emirates, which topped with 36, 832 visitors.
Gaboob said that compared to 2003, there was an increase of 31,210 in the number of visitors to Salalah last year. From June 21 to Aug. 11, 2003, the total number of visitors was 91,319.
“This is the first road show of Oman Tourism in the GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia,” Qatan said. Beginning in Qatar it covered Bahrain, Kuwait, Riyadh, and Al Khobar, before arriving in Jeddah. Within the next few days, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi would be covered. “We want lot of people from Saudi Arabia to come because we know Saudi Arabian families enjoy Oman, especially Salalah in summer. We want to show them what we have and what is the best time to go, and also about other parts of Oman, like Muscat, but this road show is especially for Salalah,” he added.
Tim Lane Stott, manager of Oman Air Holidays, a leisure division of Oman Air, explained that Khareef season was a result of the monsoon rains. “It is all green and comes at a time when other parts of GCC are not. It is a cultural festival with many family activities,” he said. “Oman is a rich repository for history and culture. The Sultanate has some of the best marine and diving sites exotic wildlife and enormous variety, entertainment and shopping, a range of hotels, resorts, and numerous facilities,” he added.
Saleh Issa Al-Kindy, the Oman Air country manager for Saudi Arabia, said that from Jeddah to Muscat, Oman Air has shared flights with Gulf Air. Stott said that during the Khareef Festival the number of flights from Muscat to Salalah increased from three to six a week.