The fourth-edition of 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 11 and will run until February 10, 2018.

The festival, organised by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), is held in cooperation with partners from the public and private sector such as Tamkeen, YK Al Moayyed, Viva Bahrain and Gulf Air.

The event will kick-start the kingdom’s robust 2018 tourism calendar and will include an impressive line-up of activities and promotions for the entire family to enjoy including numerous prizes and raffle draws.

“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,” said Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.

“This year we have over 27 hotels participating and have also witnessed an increase in the participating shopping malls that reached 22 malls. The Taste Tour alone will also feature 44 restaurants. Also the prizes for the festival include airline tickets and over 20 brand-new cars from YK Al Moayyed,” he added.

“The kingdom’s tourism strategy aims to increase the average tourist expenditure in Bahrain to reach BD100 ($262.3) per 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,” said Shaikh Khaled.

Tamkeen’s chief executive Dr. Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi stressed that Tamkeen continues to support Shop Bahrain for the fourth year in a row due to its proven track record of energising 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 and private sector and aims to position Bahrain as an ideal tourism destination in the region,” he added.

Among the highlights of the event is a unique shopping experience witnessed across the participating malls along with a number of entertainment activities for the entire family. The calendar of events also includes a ‘Festival City’ located at the Bahrain Bay which will host a variety of activities and carnival games for all age groups as well as a market, live performances and acts in both English and Arabic and entertainment.

Other highlights include the return of the ‘Taste Tour’ which aims to showcase over 40 mouth-watering restaurants. Also the excitement doesn’t end here, shoppers registered in the festival’s loyalty system found at participating hotels and shopping malls will be able to enroll in raffle draws. 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.   

Further commenting on the festival, 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.”   

“For every BD10 ($26.2) spent by the shopper, they will be eligible to enter the raffle draw to enter fabulous prizes including 20 brand new cars. Shoppers can register for the system through kiosks located at participating shopping malls and hotels,” he added.

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.

To learn more about "Shop Bahrain", visit the event's website or social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. - TradeArabia News Service