Mirbat extends 'Maraafi Al Luban' heritage market until August 31

MIRBAT, AUGUST 26
Mirbat has extended its Maraafi Al Luban heritage market until August 31, giving the coastal wilayat another week to draw Khareef visitors as Dhofar steps up efforts to spread tourism and economic activity beyond Salalah.
The event, which opened at Aghbir Park on August 10 and was due to close on Monday, will continue for seven additional days after organisers reported strong public turnout.
The extension comes at a significant point in this year’s Khareef season. Preliminary figures from the National Centre for Statistics and Information show that Dhofar received 472,449 visitors between June 21 and July 31, up 6.9 per cent from 442,100 during the corresponding period last year.
Omanis accounted for 76.3 per cent of visitors, while GCC nationals made up 16.6 per cent. Land arrivals reached 354,898, compared with 117,551 visitors arriving by air.
The figures predate the opening of Maraafi Al Luban and therefore do not measure its performance, but they show a larger visitor base entering the peak August period.
For Mirbat, the question is how much of that seasonal movement can be drawn eastwards — and how much can be converted into longer visits and spending in the local economy.
When the season was unveiled in June, Dhofar Municipality announced 125 cultural, artistic, sporting and entertainment events between June 21 and September 21. Officials said programmes would extend beyond Salalah to Taqah, Mirbat and Sadah specifically to help distribute tourist and economic activity across the governorate.
Maraafi Al Luban — roughly translated as Frankincense Harbours — gives that strategy a distinctly Mirbat identity.
The event recreates elements of the town’s old market and presents the urban, maritime and rural environments that shaped local life, alongside cultural performances, heritage activities, exhibitions and outlets for productive families and craftspeople.
Mirbat’s connection to trade is more than a theme created for the event. Official tourism material describes the coastal town as historically associated with the trade in horses and frankincense, while fishing and abalone became important parts of its later economy.
Imad bin Mohammed Baalawi, a member of the organising committee, said the additional week would allow the event to make use of the remaining Khareef period in Mirbat and continue family, heritage and cultural programmes. Organisers also plan additional activities during the extension.
Said bin Salim al Amri, another committee member, said the event had sought from the outset to reflect Mirbat’s heritage through recreations of traditional environments and the old market.
The venue also sits within a longer investment story.
Dhofar Municipality said in 2024 that development projects in Mirbat worth more than RO 3.5 million included tourism sites, roads and public infrastructure. The Aghbir beach recreation project alone was valued at more than RO 932,000, with plans for walking facilities, children’s areas, public amenities and restaurants.
The municipality also said it was opening opportunities at tourism sites to productive families, small and medium enterprises and mobile food businesses.
Heritage assets are being brought into the same economic equation. In January 2024, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism signed an agreement with Mirbat-Sadah Development and Investment Company to manage and operate Mirbat Castle and develop adjoining historic market and customs facilities.
The ministry said the arrangement was intended to use cultural heritage sustainably while creating investment opportunities for SMEs.