Dhofar looks to Sept to sustain tourism momentum

SALALAH, Sept 5

Dhofar is entering a different phase of its tourism season — the weeks immediately following the main family holiday rush.

Khareef is still under way, but the character of tourism is beginning to change.

The Tour of Salalah and the Dhofar International Film Festival began on Saturday, only days after several major family-oriented Khareef programmes concluded at the end of August. The Dhofar International Theatre Festival will follow from September 14 to 22.

The timing puts renewed focus on September, a month that falls between Dhofar’s family-dominated Khareef peak and the winter tourism period that begins to gather momentum from October.

Official figures show that September already represents a significant tourism market.

Occupancy at three- to five-star hotels across Dhofar reached 49.3 per cent in September 2025, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), compared with 35.3 per cent in September 2024.

That represents an increase of 14 percentage in a month when the reopening of schools removes much of the domestic family market that drives travel during July and August.

The figures provide a useful indication of tourism activity as the largest Khareef crowds begin to recede.

Nearly half of the available room capacity in Dhofar’s classified hotels was occupied on average during September last year, even as visitor numbers remained well below the August peak.

Dhofar received 1,070,738 Khareef visitors in 2025, with July and August together accounting for around 94 per cent of recorded arrivals.

This year’s season has also maintained strong momentum. NCSI said 881,424 visitors arrived between June 21 and August 15, up 6.6 per cent from 827,115 during the corresponding period last year.

September 2026 visitor and hotel data are not yet available, making it too early to determine whether the month will outperform last year.

However, the tourism calendar remains active.

The four-stage Tour of Salalah runs until September 9, bringing together 95 riders representing 16 teams and 28 nationalities on routes crossing Dhofar’s coastal, mountain and heritage landscapes. Over the same four days, the second Dhofar International Film Festival will screen 32 films from 16 countries.

The Dhofar International Theatre Festival opens on September 14 and continues until September 22, extending the governorate’s international cultural programme into the latter part of the month.

Abdulaziz Jaaboob, a tour guide and tourism company owner, told the Observer that the end of the school holidays changes the nature of tourism demand rather than bringing activity to an abrupt halt.

“Khareef is an exceptional season for family tourism, and the largest number of families come to Dhofar during July and August,” he said.

“In September and October, the pattern begins to move towards individual travellers and couples. From October, the European and winter tourism season also begins.”

Jaaboob said adventure tourism was also attracting greater interest, adding another segment that is less dependent on the school holiday calendar and conventional family-oriented Khareef itineraries.

His comments point to an increasingly visible distinction in Dhofar: different periods of the year attract different types of travellers, with significant variations in visitor volumes and travel patterns.

Tourism policy has also recognised the challenge of sustaining demand outside the July-August peak.

In June 2025, the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism said its strategy aimed to extend tourism activity across a 100-day window from June 21 to October 10 while managing visitor flows across three promotional periods.

The ministry identified mid-July to late August as the peak period and said targeted marketing, travel packages and cooperation with tourism businesses would be used to support demand during quieter periods on either side.

It also referred to developing competitive tourism packages during periods affected by the academic calendar.

The ministry’s broader promotional window is separate from the official Khareef visitor statistics published by NCSI, whose seasonal series runs until September 21.

The market begins changing again from October, when Dhofar traditionally attracts more winter visitors, including international travellers drawn by its beaches, mountains, heritage sites and outdoor activities rather than the monsoon conditions associated with Khareef.

For Dhofar’s tourism sector, today marks a change in pace rather than an end to the season.