Bahrain Shopping Festival announces 2015 dates

The second edition of Bahrain Shopping Festival, ‘Shop Bahrain’, is set to be the biggest nationwide festival with a unique 30-day celebration of Bahrain’s heritage, hospitality and tourism offering for the entire family running from December 24th 2015 until 23rd January 2016.

The announcement was made today during a press conference held at Al A’ali Shopping Complex, the first shopping Complex to sign up for Shop Bahrain, in the presence of the festival’s partners.

Tamkeen’s Chairman and Acting Chief Executive, Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, said that the objective of the festival is to stimulate the national economy and attract tourists from neighboring Gulf countries.

“Based on the success of the inaugural shopping festival, the organizing committee of the festival has been working hand-in-hand with the partners from the public and private sector in order to ensure the success of this year’s festival,” said Shaikh Mohammed.

“Last year, over 2,000 retailers took part in the festival and we witnessed BD18 million worth of shopping during the six-week festival with a surge in tourists from across the Gulf region. This year the line-up is bigger and better,” he added.

Shop Bahrain will mirror the Kingdom’s position as a welcoming, accessible, family destination with an incredibly diverse range of retail experiences from luxury malls to traditional souks to luxury boutiques coupled with unbeatable bargains and promotions.

Further commenting on the festival, Shop Bahrain Director, Nawaf Al Kooheji said, “This year our main focus is the shopper. Our aim is to create an unforgettable experience for shoppers in Bahrain and across the region; hence we have developed a unique raffle mechanism that truly rewards the shopper.”

The second edition’s calendar of events includes ‘VIVA Shop & Skate’ the largest outdoor skating rink housed outside Al A’ali Shopping Complex and ‘The Family Fair’ an exciting carnival held during the New Year’s Eve Weekend at Prince Khalifa bin Salman Park in Hidd.

Other highlights include the return of Al Riwaq’s ‘The Nest’, showcasing local and regional talent, in addition to ‘The Taste Tour’ taking place in the center of it all – Adliya. Mega raffles will also offer visitors and residents the opportunity to win big and amazing prizes.

Registration for Shop Bahrain runs until the 22nd of November 2015, providing retail outlets the opportunity to be a part of the Kingdom’s largest event. Participating retail outlets will also receive numerous benefits based on the selected package.

Shop Bahrain will create a fun atmosphere through various promotions and entertainment events that will position the Kingdom of Bahrain as a shopping destination for many tourists. The festival will be one of the leading events in a Manama the Capital of Gulf Tourism for the year 2016. 

Industry, Commerce and Tourism Ministry Tourism Assistant Undersecretary Sheikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa confirmed that the shopping festival will contribute to the development of the economic sector and stimulate tourism visitors between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries thus resulting in the increase of the number of visitors to the Kingdom.

Shop Bahrain will create a fun atmosphere through various promotions and entertainment events that will position the Kingdom of Bahrain as a shopping destination for many tourists. The festival will be one of the leading events in a Manama the Capital of Gulf Tourism for the year 2016.

Gulf Air A/Chief Executive Officer Mr. Maher Salman Al Musallam, VIVA Bahrain CEO Ulaiyan Al Wetaid and American Express Middle East CEO Mazin Khoury also spoke at the event.

Caption : At the press meet (AME Info)