Dhofar Forum Explores Prospects for Sustainable Economic Development

The 2nd annual Dhofar Forum, held in Salalah today, reviewed prospects of institutional integration, partnership and economic development in Dhofar Governorate. The forum was organized by business world magazine 'Alam Al-Iqtisad' in cooperation with government institutions and private sector establishments. The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar. Speaking at the event, Dhofar Municipality Chairman Dr. Ahmed Mohsin Al Ghassani outlined recent developments and efforts made to transform Dhofar Governorate. Al Ghassani said that Dhofar Governorate received about 1.5 million tourists during 2023, "most of them arrived during the Khareef (monsoon) season, in which tourism spending stood at RO 103 million. This is further enhanced by charter flights which, he said, brought about more tourism spending worth RO 23 million during 2023." Speaking on behalf of the forum's organizing committee, Said Masoud Al-Ma'ashani said that the forum focuses on means of generating more benefits from the comparative advantages of Dhofar Governorate and on aligning economic action in a manner that would achieve the goals of Oman Vision 2040. For his part, Abdullah Mohammed Al Abri, Director General of the Partnership and Privatization Unit at the Ministry of Finance, presented a working paper that highlighted areas of cooperation (on realizing sustainable economic development) between the government sector, the private sector and civil society institutions. The forum also included a dialogue session titled "The Importance of Partnership and Integration in Supporting Economic Development in Dhofar Governorate". The discussion panel underscored the role of all sectors in enhancing the competitiveness of Dhofar Governorate. The forum program also included visual presentations and working papers on sustainable economic development. Source: Oman News Agency