4th Musandam Winter season to drive tourism growth

SAID AL MASHARFI

MUSCAT: The fourth edition of the “Musandam Winter” tourism season for 2025–2026 was announced during a promotional event organised by the Office of the Governor of Musandam under the auspices of Salim bin Mohammed al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism and in the presence of several walis, chief executives of supporting companies and institutions; and members of the main committee.
The season will run for six consecutive months from November 2025 until the end of April 2026, bringing together adventure, culture, entertainment and marine activities. More than 60 diverse events will be held throughout the season, reinforcing Musandam Governorate’s position as an integrated tourism destination on both regional and international levels, while also boosting the local economy by activating sectors linked to tourism, services and trade.
The programme includes major festivals such as the Musandam Carnival, the Ghaf Tree Film Festival, the Madha Valley Carnival and the Communities Festival, along with unique events like the “Cold Sabee Adventure” and the “Bukha Lights Festival”. The season will also feature the Musandam International Diving Festival, which includes underwater photography competitions, coral reef clean-up campaigns, kayaking races, free diving and a variety of marine sports competitions.

During the previous season, Musandam welcomed around 789,000 visitors, generating an economic impact estimated at RO 251 million. This impact was reflected in increased tourism activity, higher hotel occupancy rates, stronger performance for tourism institutions and the creation of direct and indirect job opportunities for the local community.
Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidy, Governor of Musandam, affirmed that the spirit of partnership with many institutions has culminated today in promoting this model of collaboration and unveiling the upcoming season’s programme, which initially includes more than 60 events with expectations of further expansion. He noted that the events will be diverse, covering tourism, entertainment, sports and cultural sectors, with dedicated activities for expatriate communities. These events will be spread across the various wilayats and key residential clusters of Musandam Governorate.
The new season is expected to amplify Musandam’s global presence through wide-reaching media resonance and marketing platforms for SMEs, entrepreneurs and artisans, thereby broadening the economic benefits. The event also witnessed the signing of several partnership agreements to support and promote the season’s programmes, in addition to honouring the sponsors and partners who contributed to the success of previous editions.