Manama: The third-edition of the Bahrain Shopping Festival – ‘Shop Bahrain’ – is set to be the biggest nationwide Festival with a unique line-up of events and entertainment, a fantastic shopping experience and numerous prizes. The 30-day event, aimed at celebrating the Kingdom’s hospitality and tourism offering, will kick off on January 19th 2017 and will run until the 18th February 2017.
The Festival, co-organized by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) and Tamkeen, is held in cooperation with the partners from the public and private sector such as Gulf Air, Batelco and YK Al Moayyed.
Last year, over 20 shopping malls took part in the Festival resulting in a BD11 million worth of shopping along with a growth in the number of tourists from the GCC. The second edition also witnessed an increase in the daily sales revenues by 30% when compared to the results posted by the first edition. The Festival also offered employment opportunities by directly and indirectly hiring 175 Bahrainis.
“The third-edition of the Festival aims to further drive the growth of the tourism and retail sector through a close cooperation with the hospitality sector and shopping malls. This will contribute to the development of the national economy whilst attracting tourists from the Gulf region,” said the Chief Executive of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa.
“The first two editions of the Festival were a huge success and the third-edition is the continuation of this achievement,” he said adding that, “the organizing committee of Shop Bahrain has been working hand-in-hand with its partners from the public and private sectors in order to ensure the success of the upcoming Festival in line with BTEA’s Tourism Strategy and in accordance with Bahrain’s Vision 2030.”
“The Festival will also be held during the school holiday which will directly result in an influx of tourists from the region. This will positively impact the retail sector, drive the occupancy of the hotels and support the airline industry along with other service-led industries. The activities and entertainment held during Shop Bahrain will further position the Kingdom as an ideal tourist destination. This year the line-up will be bigger and better,” he said.
The Kingdom’s tourism strategy aims to increase the average tourist expenditure in Bahrain to reach BHD136 per day by the year 2018. Shop Bahrain will be a main driver as it will offer tourists a 30-day celebration catered to the entire family.
“The Festival this year will create an unforgettable calendar of events for the entire family. We will be creating a dedicated Festival City along with a nationwide Taste Tour and an exciting range of in-mall activities. The shopping offering coupled with a vibrant hospitality sector will further position Bahrain as an idea destination,” Shop Bahrain Director, Yousif Mohammed Al Khan said.
The calendar of events includes a ‘Festival City’ located at the Bahrain Bay which will host a variety of activities for all age groups. Other highlights include the return of the ‘Taste Tour’ which aims to showcase the mouth-watering restaurants in addition to raffle draws offering visitors and residents the opportunity to win big and amazing prizes.
Tamkeen’s Chief Executive Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi praised the previous economic achievement the shopping festival has created. The festival energized the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors creating BHD 11.2 million in revenue.
“As a catalyst for economic development, Tamkeen sought to cooperate with BTEA in this year’s edition and the following two years to promote the tourism sector in Bahrain and attract visitors to the Kingdom which will help in stimulating the retail sector further. We also foresee generating employment opportunities for Bahraini youth.”
“The cooperation we have developed with Shop Bahrain aims to promote the Kingdom as an ideal tourist destination, both on the regional and international front. It follows our continuous support towards further supporting the growth of the tourism sector and national economy. Shop Bahrain is the ideal platform for us as the national carrier to utilize and raise awareness in regards to Bahrain’s tourism offering and attract tourists to enjoy the Arabic hospitality renowned by the Kingdom and Gulf Air,” Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer, Maher Salman said.
“We are pleased to partner up with the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority. This partnership echoes Batelco’s strategy, stemmed from its vision as the leading national telecom provider, to continuously support innovative initiatives which drives the growth of the Kingdom’s economy. We aim to be a part of cultural and entertainment events that can further add value to our customers. Through Shop Bahrain, we hope to offer an unparalleled array of products and services for residents and tourists who will attending the 30-day event,” Batelco Senior Manager Corporate Affairs, Osama AlSaad said.
“Our partnership with Shop Bahrain is in line with our strategy to support national events and initiatives that stimulates the economy. We aim to work hand-in-hand with the public and private sectors to support the Kingdom’s Economic Vision,” Director of Project Development at YK Al Moayyed, Mohammed Al Moayed said.
Shop Bahrain will mirror the Kingdom’s position as an accessible family destination, renowned for its close proximity to the Gulf countries with easy access through the King Fahad Causeway and the Bahrain International Airport. The Festival will offer an incredibly diverse range of retail experiences. Shoppers will be enrolled in the Festival’s loyalty system when purchasing directly from any participating outlet and partner allowing them to win a wide range of prizes.
Shoppers and visitors can learn more about “Shop Bahrain” through the website: www.shopbahrain.com or through the account @shopbahrain on the social networking channels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The Festival organizers have also launched a dedicated whatsapp channel on 38999111
