Dhofar Governorate, home to the city of Salalah in southern Oman, is planning 36 tourism and hospitality projects to increase capacity ahead of future Khareef seasons.
The pipeline includes 23 projects under construction. Another 13 are awaiting approval or financing. Together, they aim to increase hotel capacity, improve visitor services and ease pressure on tourism infrastructure during peak travel periods.
Dhofar has 123 licensed hotels with more than 8,400 rooms. However, demand during the annual Khareef season regularly pushes accommodation, transport and visitor services to capacity, creating pressure on availability and pricing.
The investment programme is designed to strengthen the region’s hospitality sector, particularly in Salalah and nearby visitor destinations.
The plans extend beyond new hotels. They also include visitor facilities, leisure attractions, transport improvements and other tourism infrastructure to support year-round demand.
While Khareef remains the region’s main tourism driver, Dhofar is also targeting growth outside the summer season. Potential markets include eco-tourism, coastal tourism, heritage attractions, mountain trekking, winter travel, family tourism and business events.
The extra capacity could also help Dhofar host more meetings and events, complementing Oman’s established business events infrastructure, including the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in Muscat.
The expansion supports Oman Vision 2040, which identifies tourism as a key part of the country’s economic diversification strategy. The projects are also expected to create opportunities for suppliers across food, transport, maintenance, laundry, retail, event services and other tourism-related businesses.
