Indian travel executive sees strong potential for khareef tourism
More than 472,000 visitors reached Dhofar between June 21 and July 31, up 6.9 per cent from the comparable period of 2025. Ankush Jain, Managing Director of Go Now Travels Pvt. Ltd., a Delhi-based travel company, said that Dhofar Governorate stood out during a week-long…
Ankush Jain, Managing Director of Go Now Travels Pvt. Ltd., a Delhi-based travel company, said that Dhofar Governorate stood out during a week-long familiarisation visit aimed at assessing destinations and experiences that could be marketed to Indian clients.
His visit covered both northern Oman and Salalah, during Khareef — the annual monsoon season that typically runs from June to September and transforms parts of southern Oman into green, mist-covered landscapes. For Jain, that seasonal transformation gives Salalah a tourism product that differs.
What Happened
The greenery and vegetation grow afresh. He said the combination of mountains, coastline and nearby desert could be particularly attractive to travellers from northern India, where beaches and sand dunes would add variety to a short-haul overseas holiday.
More than 472,000 visitors reached Dhofar between June 21 and July 31, up 6.9 per cent from the comparable period of 2025.
Indian nationals accounted for 382,015 visitors to Oman in the first half of 2026, making India the second-largest source market after the United Arab Emirates, according to National Centre for Statistics and Information data.
More than 472,000 visitors reached the governorate between June 21 and July 31, up 6.9 per cent from the comparable period of 2025, according to preliminary official figures.
Key Details
India is already one of Oman’s largest tourism source markets. Dhofar is also seeing another strong khareef season.
People on a holiday don’t want to be rushed.
“There are a lot of ‘wow’ factors here.” He said leisure travellers were more likely to respond to relaxed programmes combining a limited number of memorable experiences with sufficient free time, rather than tightly.
But Jain said the way those experiences are packaged would be as important as the attractions themselves.
Why It Matters
Khareef is the peak domestic and regional tourism season in southern Oman, drawing visitors to Salalah and surrounding areas for its cooler temperatures, green mountains, flowing wadis, beaches and cultural attractions. While Dhofar provides a distinctive summer proposition, he said northern Oman.
That combination, he said, allows travel companies to sell different parts of Oman at different times of the year.
He highlighted snorkelling, dolphin-watching, desert activities and the turtle reserve at Ras Al Jinz on Oman’s eastern coast among the experiences that could be incorporated into packages for Indian travellers.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by Oman Observer as more details emerge
