Salalah – Dhofar welcomed 472,449 visitors between June 21 and July 31, up 6.9% from the same period last year, as the khareef season continues to draw travellers from Oman and neighbouring Gulf states.

Preliminary estimates from the National Centre for Statistics and Information showed visitor numbers rising from 442,100 during the corresponding period of 2025.

Omanis remained by far the largest group, accounting for 76.3% of all visitors. Their numbers rose to 360,531 from 334,399 a year earlier.

Visitors from GCC countries increased to 78,356 from 69,801, representing 16.6% of the total.

Travellers of other nationalities numbered 33,562, or 7.1% of visitors, down from 37,900 during the same period last year.

Air travel recorded the fastest growth among modes of arrival. The number of visitors flying into Dhofar increased 9.6% to 117,551, compared with 107,254 in 2025.

Land crossings, however, continued to account for the majority of arrivals, with 354,898 visitors entering by road, up 5.9% from 334,846 a year earlier.

July dominated the season so far, accounting for 95.5% of all visitors recorded during the reporting period.

A total of 451,355 people visited Dhofar between July 1 and 31, compared with 421,506 during July 2025.

Between June 21, the traditional start of the khareef season, and June 30, visitor numbers stood at 21,094, slightly higher than 20,594 during the same period last year.

The figures underline the continuing pull of Dhofar during khareef, when seasonal rains and mist transform the governorate’s mountains and plains and temperatures remain considerably cooler than in much of the region.

The increase also provides a seasonal boost to hotels, restaurants, transport operators, retailers and tourism businesses across Salalah and surrounding areas, with July and August traditionally marking the busiest period of the year.