More than 1.8 million visitors experience the celebrations of the Salalah Tourism Festival annually and enjoy the unique climate characterised by light rain, mist, balmy weather, green-carpeted hills and the well-preserved culture and traditional lifestyle of Oman.

Salalah, the region's summer paradise is geared up to witness the season’s largest shopping and entertainment extravaganza, all under one roof. Bigger than ever before, the Salalah Tourism Festival 2012 will showcase a variety of cultural, heritage and entertainment activities over a period of 30 days. A broad spectrum of the latest fashion trends, exotic products and items will be on display at the Shopping Fair, held alongside the month long Salalah Tourism Festival. The fair will allow both local and foreign businesses to showcase their products and services, and hence make inroads into the booming market in the Dhofar region.

Magic of Salalah

Known as "Arabia's Perfume Capital", the city of Salalah is all set to weave its khareef magic through the large vistas of grass and water mist. During this period, Salalah turns into a magical metamorphosis sweeping over large swathes of the Dhofar Governorate. Green-carpeted mountains, lush landscapes, burbling springs and impressive waterfalls are part of the natural magic in the Dhofar governorate at this time of year. During the Khareef Season (monsoon), more than a million visitors from Oman and the region descend on the Dhofar region to experience its magical aura.

Business new destination

The Salalah Tourism Festival is becoming progressively more commercialized in an attempt to bring more visitors to the governorate during the Khareef season. The city of Salalah is willing to become the next blooming industrial and tourism destination with projects being currently in the pipeline aiming at boosting the local business. Salalah has been making a concerted effort to develop its industrial area, expand the port’s capacity and attract more tourists. Investors are being encouraged to locate there by factors such as low rents and low-cost electricity, while the port’s location near one of the world’s busiest trade routes ensures its future growth. Planned expansion efforts at the ports should encourage further investment from local and foreign players. The Salalah Free Zone has had a substantial impact on the region attracting major players from a number of segments. Phase one of the Salalah Free Zone has been finished and is completely occupied.