Buoyed by the success of the first Al Jabal Al Akhdhar Tourism Festival, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is planning to hold more such galas in other wilayats of the Sultanate of Oman, according to a top official.
Eng Ibrahim bin Said al Kharousi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for Heritage, said the next edition of the festival will see more events and activities. The ministry will also have more facilities at the venues. He said the festival's first edition coincided with the pomegranate season, which turned out to be a major attraction.
The fourth day of the festival witnessed a large number of visitors including families from other wilayats and abroad.
The horse riders entertained crowds with riding skills and songs. Some of the visitors followed these riders on their vehicles and cheered them on.
A number of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar residents lined the road between the municipality park and the governor’s office, offering riders pomegranates, olives, figs and rose water.
The folklore artistes of the wilayats entertained the visitors with folk songs
All the tourist spots of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar and its roads witnessed huge traffic with picnickers since the early morning.
Fahd al Balushi, from Muscat who accompanied tourists from the UAE, said: “We visited the tourist sites in the Wilayat of Al Jabal Al Akhdhar and visited the villages of Al Ain, Wadi Bani Habib, Sayq and other areas and tourist sites.”
Al Balushi pointed out that what attracts visitors to the Green Mountain is its mild weather and natural landscapes.
Al Jabal Al Akhdhar Tourism Festival is undertaken by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism — in cooperation with government and private establishments — as a measure to stimulate tourism development in line with Oman Vision 2040 goals. These include enhancing social welfare and bringing about balanced economic development in the country’s governorates. The festival site is perched at a height of 3,000 metres above sea level.
The five-day festival began with a mountain parade on horseback, which started from Alila Jabal Akhdhar. The cavalcade passed through the Municipality Park and proceeded along mountain passages onwards till camping sites. The 50-km march was conducted in two stages by 17 horse riders from Oman and abroad. The festival ends today.
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