Measures in full swing for Khareef festival
MUSCAT — An elaborate opening ceremony has been planned for the inauguration of the 48-day Khareef Festival which begins on July 15 in the picturesque city of Salalah.
The opening ceremony will cover several artistic and heritage tableaus representing the Sultanate’s tourist and historical aspects, its magnificent nature and unique environment.
Shaikh Salim bin Oufait Al Shanfari, head of Dhofar Municipality and Chairman of the main committee of Salalah Khareef Festival 2007, said the opening ceremony will comprise 11 singing shows.
A television studio to cover the festivities and other infrastructural works like installing sign boards are also in full swing to help tourists find their way in and around Salalah.
Besides this, thousands of more families from Oman and the Gulf are expected to make a beeline to Salalah during the Khareef season.
While the rest of the Gulf region sizzles with the mercury hitting the rooftop, the southern Dhofar region is invitingly cool with rain and abundant greenery.
Sayyid Abdullah bin Hamad bin Saif Al Busaidi, chairman of the State Audit Institution (SAI), will preside over the inauguration ceremony of the festival.
Meanwhile, officials connected with promoting tourism in Salalah said the ministry of tourism had participated in Dubai International Travel and Tourism Fair with the aim of promoting the Sultanate as a major tourism destination in general with focus on the Khareef Festival.