We read with interest that the visitor turnout to Salalah Tourism Festival is up by 10 per cent this year. As many as 31,335 tourists visited the Governorate of Dhofar since the start of the monsoon season from June 21 till July 4, according the Tourism Ministry.
The increase in number of visitors to Dhofar during the past period of the monsoon season stands at 10.6 per cent over last year’s figure of 28,331 visitors.
Among the visitors, Omanis constituted 46.9 per cent, while visitors from the UAE, were 13.4 per cent and tourists from other GCC countries 20.4 per cent. Salalah Airport has been witnessing a growing tourism activity since the beginning of the Khareef season in terms of the number of domestic and international flights.
The Khareef Visitors Survey 2011 showed that 99 per cent of visitors to Dhofar come from GCC states, including Omanis and residents in member states.
All these figures show that Salalah Tourism Festival has enormous potential to attract visitors in large numbers which is a boon to the tourism sector in the country. We need to promote this festival more and more.
— Saleem al Kiyumi
Editor: Salalah and Dhofar Governorate are round the year tourism destinations of Oman and a star attraction in the Middle East.
Sultanate’s aid to Yemen, Palestine
It was heartening to read in your July 10 edition news item that following the directives of His Majesty, the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO) will distribute foodstuff to 10,000 Yemeni families during the month of Ramadhan. The OCO team for distribution work has already left for Yemen.
The OCO also signed last week a MoU to set up three schools in Gaza. Many of us are confident that one of the main reasons for the continued prosperity, peace and security and all round development in Oman is part of the blessings it receives on account of extending support to the oppressed people in different parts of the world. Oman has always lived up to the adage “A friend in need is a friend in indeed” by being at the forefront of humanitarian and peace-making programmes.
The Government of Oman as well as its private sector and the public have in the past responded with great enthusiasm to mobilise funds for building schools, orphanages, hospitals and mosques in Palestine. Palestinian children have faced great hardships and atrocities in the recent Israeli attacks and Oman’s move to build orphanages and schools of these children has been greatly appreciated by Palestinian authorities as well as all well-wishers of peace. Realising and understanding one’s duty towards others who are under oppression is an important feature of aware and awakened people. The Sultanate’s aid to Somalia, Libya, Japan and Syria in recent times is a case in point.
— S A Farooq
Editor: Oman believes in helping nations during natural disasters and other crises and has been very kind to its brotherly people of Palestine.
GED pass rate at 82 per cent
We read with interest in your front page news (dated July 11) that the overall pass rate of students who sat for the General Education Diploma (GED) during the second semester of this school year 2011-2012 was 82.04 per cent in regular education schools. The pass rate of those who sat for the Islamic Sciences Diploma was 94.64 per cent, bilingual schools 95.8 per cent, while the GED’s pass rate at the Technical College of the Royal Guard of Oman was 100.
The results are indeed encouraging and one hopes the youth are given even more facilities to advance in the field of education and training.
— Adnan
Editor: It is indeed encouraging to note that Omani youth have put up a good performance in school education. Thanks to the government’s heavy investment and decades of planning, the educational sector is moving forward and showing results now.
