OMAN: Busy tourist season begins in Oman's Dhofar governorate

Muscat: The khareef (autumn) season got underway on Sunday in the Dhofar governorate to Oman's far south, heralding the start of a holiday season that is typically a major draw for tens of thousands of GCC tourists.

During the khareef, a thin sliver of Dhofar governorate is transformed into a sub-tropical paradise characterised by grassy meadows, mist-shrouded hills, balmy weather and a festive holiday spirit.

An estimated 450,000 tourists, a significant majority of them visitors from the UAE and other GCC states, travelled to Salalah, the main city in Dhofar, during the Khareef season last year. Arrivals during 2008 were 24 per cent higher than the previous year.

During the three-month-long khareef season, which officially ends on September 21, tourists can explore the governorate's many historical and natural attractions, including springs, parkland settings, natural caves, sinkholes, and ancient religious sites.

But the central highlight of the season is a roughly six-week-long cultural extravaganza, dubbed Salalah Tourism Festival, that is held at a sprawling venue on Ateen Plain just outside the city.