Yesterday, the 25th of December 2017, during a press conference at Bab Al-Bahrain, the fourth edition of the Bahrain Shopping Festival “Shop Bahrain” was announced and will be kicking off from January 11, 2018 until February 10.
The festival is organized by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) in partnership with Tamkeen, YK AlMoayyed, Viva Bahrain and Gulf Air. This year’s Shop Bahrain is set to be the biggest nationwide Festival with a unique line-up of events and entertainment, in addition to a fantastic shopping experience and numerous prizes. What’s even more exciting is the fact that the more you shop, the more points you have which makes you eligible to win some cool prizes!
BTEA Chief Executive His Excellency Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa gave the opening speech and touched upon the importance and greatness of this event. “The fourth edition of the Festival aims to further drive the growth of the tourism and retail sector by attracting residents and tourists to the numerous activities. We were keen to host the event during the holidays of our Gulf neighbors in order to attract a large number of tourists to flock the country,” he said.
He also mentioned that this year, the Shop Bahrain Festival has over 27 hotels that will be participating. In addition, there’s been an increase in the participation of shopping malls with 22 malls participating this year. H.E Shaikh Khaled also adds that the Taste Tour will be featuring 44 restaurants.
Oh and that’s not all yet. The winners are in some really cool and awesome prizes. The prizes include airline tickets from Gulf Air and 20 brand-new cars from YK Al Moayyed. According to H.E Shaikh Khaled, Bahrain’s tourism strategy aims to increase the average tourist expenditure in the country, to reach BD100 a day. “Shop Bahrain will be a main driver as it will offer tourists a 30-day celebration catered to the entire family. The activities and entertainment held during Shop Bahrain will further position the Kingdom as an ideal tourist destination.”
On the other hand, Tamkeen’s Chief Executive Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi touched upon Tamkeen’s role in supporting Shop Bahrain for the fourth year in a row due to its proven track record of energizing the retail sector in the Kingdom. “The festival has a positive impact on various sectors in the Kingdom such as retail, hospitality, transportation and so forth. It also portrays the true partnership between the public an private sector and aims to position Bahrain as an ideal tourism destination in the region,” he said.
What else is going down at the Shop Bahrain Festival?
The Shop Bahrain Festival will host a number of entertainment activities for families. So make sure you grab your parent, kids, siblings and friends and come along to join the fun! Some of the events include a Festival City at Bahrain Bay, where there is going to be carnival games, a market, and some live music performances. In addition, shoppers registered in the Festival’s loyalty system found at participating hotels and shopping malls will be able to enroll in raffle draws.
Khaled Janahi, Imran Al-Aradi, Razan Al Jassim, Ameera AlKooheji? Want to see them? Shop Bahrain will also be covered by a number of local and regional social media influencers with an aim of promoting the festival to a larger audience, so if you ever wanted to meet one of your favorite social media influencers, this is your chance!
Shop Bahrain Director, Yousef Mohammed Al Khan said: “The Festival this year will create an unforgettable calendar of events for the entire family including many surprises, exciting range of in-mall activities and valuable prizes. This year we launched a dedicated app for the festival aimed at informing locals, residents and tourists about the latest promotions, activities and the latest updates on customer’s the loyalty point system.”
Mohammed Al Moayyed, Director at YK Al Moayyed talked about their partnership with Shop Bahrain stating: Our partnership with Shop Bahrain is in line with our strategy to support national events and initiatives that stimulate the economy. We aim to work hand-in-hand with the public and private sectors to support the Kingdom’s 2030 Economic Vision.”
VIVA Bahrain CEO, Ulaiyan Al Wetaid also mentioned that they’re pleased to be a part of Shop Bahrain for the second year in a row. “This festival is the launch pad to promote Bahrain’s tourism and retail sector. The festival provides a tremendous opportunity on both the economic and social front and also fosters partnership between the public and private sector and creates job opportunities. Our cooperation with BTEA and Tamkeen underlines our commitment to the community and aims to provide locals and residents to enjoy a unique experience,” he 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.