Oman tourism: All roads lead to Salalah as Eid-Al-Fitr celebrations kick start

Muscat: Tour operators are reaping gold as travellers are rushing to book buses for the western region of Salalah in the hope of spending Eid-Al-Fitr holidays amidst the annual Khareef (monsoon) season.
Most of the bus operators, the Times of Oman (TOO) spoke to, said the buses for Eid-Al-Fitr holidays (July 5 to 9) have been booked since last week.
“The (availability of) tickets are now possible only after Eid,” an official from Al Ghazal Transport told TOO on Sunday, adding, “We are trying to make sure there isn’t a shortage of transport by adding more buses to the fleet. But all seats are booked.”
On Sunday, travellers hoping to holiday in Salalah were lined outside the transport offices hoping to get a lucky ticket during the Eid holidays.
Inside the Mwasalat office at Ruwi, many dejected passengers had to leave the premises after officials announced that seats are booked for all Eid holidays.
“I wanted to visit Salalah on Eid evening. It looks like people are travelling on the first Eid too,” said Vinod Kumar, who wanted to enjoy the holidays with his family this year.
Tourist season
Meanwhile, Mwasalat—a government-owned company—announced that it will increase daily trips to Salalah during the Salalah Tourism Festival, starting from Friday (July 8) with special fare offers.
“We will increase the trips from three to five a day. The company will provide a total of 225 seats a day, adding about 7,000 seats a month,” an official statement said Sunday.
It further said daily service during the Khareef season will be from Muscat to Salalah and Salalah to Muscat at different times of the day. The first shuttle will leave at 7:00 am and the last one at 7:00 pm both ways.
“The company will offer special promotional fares during the festival, with free tickets for children under the age of two, who are accompanied by their parents, and a special discount for group reservation,” it said. The fare details and timetable can be accessed on the company’s website and its offices in the Sultanate.
“The company will be using as many of its new fleet for the aforementioned service, characterized by luxury and comfort, with the availability of a restroom on-board,” it said.