Travel rush: UAE residents take opportunity to experience cooler khareef season in Salalah

Airfares are up and hotels in the city are nearing full occupancy

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  Salalah's monsoon season draws thousands of visitors every year. AP Photo

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  Khareef runs from June to September. Photo: Ministry of Tourism – Oman

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  Many families fly from the UAE to Salalah, or tackle the 12-hour drive from the Emirates to see mist-covered mountains. Stephen Lock / The National

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  Tourists at Wadi Darbat near Salalah. AFP

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  Omani families picnic on Jebal Ayoub, north of Salalah. AP

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  Salalah's topography is closer to fertile southern India than the arid valleys and deserts of the Gulf. AFP

Many UAE residents are planning to visit southern Oman to enjoy the khareef season over the coming long weekend.

Friday is a public holiday in the UAE and many residents are planning to make the most of it with a visit to Oman’s Salalah.

At this time of year, the sultanate’s southern coast is transformed into a green paradise as seasonal rain, mist and cooler temperatures sweep the Dhofar Governorate.

Airlines, hotels and car rental companies have recorded a spike in the number of tourists heading to Salalah from the UAE this weekend.

Airfares have increased on flights from the UAE to Salalah over the coming weekend, including from Dubai with flydubai, where return flights start at Dh2,461 this weekend, compared with typical airfares for the two-hour journey, which cost, on average, about Dh1,300.

Air Arabia’s fares from Sharjah to Salalah have also increased, from about Dh700 for a one-way flight on an average weekend, to more than Dh1,000 on Friday.

Emirates airline's cheapest return flight to Salalah on Friday is Dh4,355, meaning travellers taking the flight will be paying more than Dh18 per minute for the journey.

Hotels in Salalah near full occupancy

“Our hotels are almost fully booked for the weekend," said Murat Sak, executive hotel manager at Orascom Development Holding, which manages the Juweira Boutique Hotel and Fanar Hotel & Residences in Salalah.

"We have had a lot of last-minute bookings and about 30 per cent of total bookings are from the UAE."

The pattern repeats at Crowne Plaza Resort Salalah, where Philip Yeldhos, digital marketing executive, said: “We are experiencing a surge in demand as we approach the weekend, with lots of inquiries and bookings from UAE citizens and residents. This is owing mostly to the long weekend in the UAE.

“This pattern aligns with our typical trend during the khareef season, where more than half of our guests are from the GCC region.”

There has also been a rise in demand for car rentals.

“Currently we are getting a lot of inquiries and bookings from the UAE because of the holiday coming up on Friday, resulting in a long weekend for those travellers. Most of our vehicles are booked. We usually get lots of bookings from the UAE during the khareef season, but this weekend it is exceptionally high,” said Sanoop Moinudheen, managing director at Modern Rent a Car & Tourism in Salalah.

For Mohammed Bilal, a UAE resident planning a trip to Salalah this weekend, the lure of the coastal Omani town is inescapable.

“The combination of the long weekend and the khareef season in Salalah is irresistible. I have been to Salalah during khareef several times, and without a doubt, it is the ultimate destination in the GCC during this season. The weather provides much-needed respite from the scorching temperatures.

“Prices seem to be up for travel this weekend. I saw that when booking my flights and a place to stay.”

During khareef season, Salalah experiences a pleasant drop in temperatures, which average about 25°C. This provides a welcome contrast to the rising temperatures experienced in other parts of the region, which average about 43°C at this time of year.