Dhofar Province announces details of Dhofar Autumn Season 2024

MUSCAT: Dhofar Province has revealed the details of the Dhofar Autumn Season 2024 through the digital interactive platform of the Information Ministry of the Sultanate of Oman (Ain platform).

The activities and events for this year’s Dhofar Autumn Season started on June 21 and, for the first time, will continue for 90 days until September 20. The exceptional and global events, combined with the cool weather and stunning nature, create a unique tourist experience.

His Highness Sayyid Marwan Bin Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar, stated that the province welcomes its unique and divinely gifted autumn season

(Dhofar Autumn Season) every year on June 21, offering a unique tourist experience. He emphasised that Dhofar is the ideal choice with its wonderful weather, beautiful natural landscapes, exceptional events, and diverse environments such as marine, plain, and mountainous areas, in addition to its rich cultural and historical diversity, making it an ideal tourist destination that caters to all tastes.

His Highness pointed out that the Dhofar Autumn Season is the best choice for family and individual tourism. Last year, the governorate received nearly one million visitors, highlighting the importance of enhancing the province’s tourism role, which is an important economic driver and contributes to empowering Omani entrepreneurs. A comprehensive plan has been set to enhance and develop various tourist sites, including improving natural sights, enhancing coastal fronts, and developing water spring locations, all while considering environmental sustainability.

His Highness said that this year’s Dhofar Autumn Season is distinguished by extending the duration of events to 90 days, giving visitors a longer opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the province and its diverse activities. He emphasised that government entities and the private sector are keen on providing a unique tourist experience for all visitors by increasing event sites, diversifying their types, and providing all services and facilities.

His Excellency Dr Ahmed Bin Mohsen Al-Ghassani, Mayor of Dhofar Municipality, presented the main activities of the Dhofar Autumn Season 2024, which will be distributed across several existing and new locations. This aims to provide citizens, residents, and visitors with new and exciting experiences. His Excellency noted that, in welcoming the province’s visitors, efforts are being made to implement quality events focusing on five main aspects: environment and public health, youth, children, culture, and arts.

The mayor noted that last year’s autumn events witnessed unprecedented turnout, with visitor numbers ranging between 400,000 to 800,000 per main site. Over 150 events were held last year, including artistic, sports, cultural, heritage, and entertainment activities. This year’s events are expected to reach 180. The mayor also mentioned that last season, 1,733 individuals and institutions from across the Sultanate of Oman benefited from the events, with 334 operating companies involved. This year, more sites have been allocated for small and medium enterprises, offering more than 500 additional opportunities, creating temporary job opportunities for thousands of young people.

His Excellency Dr Al-Ghassani confirmed the municipality’s keenness to enhance the accompanying events of the Dhofar Autumn Season 2024 by holding them in various locations and Wilayas, including Thumrait, Taqah, Mirbat, and Sadah. The focus will be on diverse cultural, commercial, and entertainment activities, as well as holding specialised international exhibitions at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex for Culture and Entertainment in Salalah.

Ammar Bin Oubed Ghawas, Director of Events and Awareness at Dhofar Municipality, mentioned that young visitors will enjoy many new and diverse events in various fields such as sports and entertainment. ‘Etten Square’ will host many new games different from previous years. In addition, the theatre has been equipped with the latest technologies for global shows. Visitors will also enjoy lighting displays, laser fountain shows, and drone shows, which are the largest in terms of number and duration this year.

The sports events will be diverse to suit different tastes and interests. Salalah Public Park will host ‘Throw Town’ for the first time in the province, specialising in endurance and physical strength sports, held weekly. Several sports fields and equipment will be allocated for sports events during the Dhofar Autumn Season. The ‘Salalah International Cycling Tour’ will return more distinguished after being officially registered and approved by the International Cycling Union, featuring four stages with over 100 cyclists from different countries, enhancing sports tourism in the governorate. Car enthusiasts of all ages can look forward to the ‘Oman Automobile Association’ events filled with speed, challenge, and competition at the ‘Celebrations Square’. The Dhofar International ‘Drag Race’ Championship will see wide participation from the Arabic Gulf countries at Damr Beach in Mirbat. The Dhofar Autumn Traditional Shooting Competition will be the largest this year in terms of prize value and the number of local and Gulf participants.

The Director of Events and Awareness emphasised their constant care and attention, noting that the autumn schedule is full of many activities for children this year. One of the highlights is ‘Kiddy Time’ at Aouqd Public Park, featuring many new and unique activities that will amaze and delight children. These include various international villages and cities, moving global shows, and beloved characters that children can interact and play with. Sports events will also be held weekly for different age groups at Salalah Public Park.

The entertainment options will be complete with ‘Uptown’ in Ateen Plain, featuring various electric and inflatable games suitable for all age groups. This modern and fully serviced leisure spot offers scenic walking paths and green spaces.

In the cultural axis, the ‘Awdat Al-Madhi’ (Return of the Past) village will feature many activities simulating Dhofar’s different environments, including urban, rural, Bedouin, marine, and agricultural. It will also provide a new cultural heritage experience by hosting Omani Wilayas from outside the province for the first time, including Sur, Nizwa, and Sohar, with plans to expand this experience in future seasons to include Wilayas from all over the Sultanate. The village will reflect the rich cultural heritage of the Sultanate through arts, events, and diverse traditional markets, with live performances showcasing Omani culture. Various cultural events will be held in the province’s different Wilayas to highlight national identity and attract tourists, introducing them to the unique Omani culture through specialised exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and theatrical performances.

For the first time, Dhofar Province will host the Dhofar International Theatre Festival, featuring theatre troupes from inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman. The festival will include six tracks for different types of theatre: adult, children, popular theatre, monodrama, diorama, and street theatre. Each track will be a mini-festival with various participants, guests, and judging panels. The festival aims to be the first in the Arab world and compete for global top rankings in terms of organisation, attracting the best global performances, offering valuable awards, diverse tracks, and prestigious guests.

It is noteworthy that Dhofar Province is a significant tourist destination locally, regionally, and globally due to its stunning nature and diverse global events. The number of visitors is expected to exceed one million this year, especially with direct flights to Salalah Airport from various Arab Gulf countries.