[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="‘Shop Bahrain’ festival gaining momentum" ids="116131,116132,116133,116134,116135,116136"]
By Afnan Linjawi
JEDDAH — The ongoing third edition of “Shop Bahrain” festival draws a crowd of enthusiastic shoppers and visitors as it makes headway. Residents and tourists from neighboring countries drop by to experience firsthand the festival’s events and activities. The fair kicked off last Jan.19 and will run until Feb.18.
Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Khaled Al-Khalifa said the festival invites families from all over the Gulf Cooperation Countries.
“The festival aims at giving visitors and tourists a unique shopping experience exposing them to national Bahraini businesses. The festival also aims to stimulate and energize the retail sector in Bahrain, energize Bahrain’s labor market, promote the tourism sector and attract visitors from neighboring countries and increase the tourist’s average expenditure,” he said.
He added the authority organizes events for every season of the year.
"We decided to hold the festival at a time when all of the Gulf Corporation Countries have vacations so they can come to Bahrain and be a part of the festivities. During the planning for the festival we looked into the accessibility of the event, the attractions and the accommodations," Al-Khalifa further said.
He added the authority aims to offer the tourists a variety of activities when they visit Bahrain.
"We receive tourists from all over the world. In 2015 we had 11 million visitors and in 2016 we had 12 million visitors to Bahrain. But the largest number of tourists we receive are Saudis. In 2015, we had over 6 million Saudis visiting Bahrain and in 2016 we had over 7 million Saudis visiting Bahrain. We always focus on Gulf tourists and family tourists in our planning," Al-Khalifa noted.
Moreover, he said Bahrain focuses on empowering its own small and medium enterprises.
"We cooperate with Tamkeen, an organization that focuses on developing the private sector in Bahrain and empowering the Bahraini youth, to support the Bahraini small and medium enterprises. Tamkeen supports every Bahraini entrepreneur by giving grant that covers 50 percent of the enterprise's cost. Tamkeen has supported 50,000 Bahrainis over the past 10 years," he averred.
He explained that Shop Bahrain Shop festival began as a Tamkeen initiative to support small and medium Bahraini enterprises, but the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority began taking the initiative under its wings and turning it into a tourist attraction.
"There will be a concert on the 1st of February in cooperation with Rotana. The concert will feature Hussain Al-Jismy and Asmaa Al-Munawir. I hope that as many people as possible get to visit Bahrain and see what it has to offer. Bahrain merges between the old and the new and the festival is suitable for all ages and cultures," Al-Khalifa said.
An organizer at the festival said the festival also gave its visitors the opportunity to win several prizes in a raffle.
"Shoppers and visitors of Shop Bahrain have the opportunity to win several prizes including a car by collecting points as they shop. Shoppers and visitors will earn three points for every Bahraini Dinar they spend. If the shoppers and visitors had a mobile phone SIM card from Betelco or flew into Bahrain using Gulf Air, then they would earn four points for every dinar spent as the two companies are our strategic planners for Shop Bahrain, in addition to YK Al Moayed & Sons," said the organizer.
She also said there are three categories for the prizes included in the raffle.
"If the shopper or visitor manages to collect 3 to 500 points, then he or she will enter the raffle under the bronze category. If the shopper or visitor manages to collect 501 to 1,000 points, then he or she will enter the raffle under the silver category. If the shopper or visitor manages to collect over 1,000 points, then he or she will enter the raffle under the gold category," said the organizer.
The organizer also said participants have a chance of one out of 10 to win a prize from the raffle.
"Participants have the chance to win free flight tickets, mobile phones, cars and more. All what shoppers and visitors have to do is to bring their receipts of items they bought from Shop Bahrain shopping centers to a Shop Bahrain information desk and we will add up their points for them and submit their names into the raffle," said the organizer.
The organizer also said there are 19 shopping centers participating in Shop Bahrain Festival.
"The participating shopping centers are City Center Shopping Centers, Seef Mall Shopping Centers, MODA Mall Shopping Centers, Saar Mall, Al-Aali Shopping Complex, Ramli Mall, Yateem Shopping Center, Bahrain Mall Shopping Center, Bab Al-Bahrain Mall, Dragon City Shopping Centers, Enma’a Shopping Centers, Al-Rafali Shopping Center, LuLu Hypermarkets and the festival city where there are a variety of restaurants and Bahraini businesses," said the organizer.
The organizer said the raffles are drawn every Sunday at the Ministry of Commerce's main office for security reasons.
There will be a total of 20 winners as every Sunday five prizes are drawn.
"We also have hotels that are participating in the festival. Visitors will gain points from their hotel receipts if they stayed in one of the following hotels: Al-Bandar Hotel and Resort, Atiram Premier Hotel, Delmon International Hotel, Fraser Suites Seef Bahrain, Hotel Mercure Grand Seef, Gulf Hotel, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheraton Hotel, Four Season Hotel, The Westin Hotel, InterContinental Regency Hotel, Le Meridien Bahrain City Center, Orange Suites Hotel, Ramada Hotel and Suites Amwaj Islands, Ramada Manama City Center, Swiss BelHotel, Swiss International Palace Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel, The Diplomat Radisson Blue Hotel, the K Hotel, the Palace Boutique Hotel, Mövenpick Hotel," said the organizer.
Villa Mamma Restaurant Owner Ruyah Saleh said she is very happy to participate in the festival as part of the restaurants of the festival.
"I started my business back in February 2012. I started with nine employees and now I have 80 employees. My restaurant offers modernized Bahraini cuisine. I am the biggest supporter of the Bahraini farmers' market. I make sure that our ingredients are all organic and fresh," Saleh said.
She added her restaurant won the Best Bahraini Business Award and the Best Family Business Award.
"I was also ranked the Best All Day Dining Restaurant by Food and Travel Magazine. I started as a small venture and now my restaurant is packed around the clock. Customers reserve tables before they come to the restaurant. It is located in Saar Village, right in front of King Fahd Causeway," she further said.
Saleh added that her future plan is expanding Villa Mamma and selling the brand's own produce. She was fully supported by Tamkeen and the Bahraini Development Bank.
Ali Ibrahim, Bahraini entrepreneur, said his brand is Cazasouq.
"We sell video games accessories. I started my business in 2014. At first, I had a YouTube channel with more than 1.5 million followers. Then I developed a whole brand and launched my own website. Now I have my own social media accounts where my followers and customers can contact me," said Ibrahim.
He added he knew about Shop Bahrain through their marketing.
"The organizers of Shop Bahrain had social media celebrities and influencers market the event. I knew about Shop Bahrain through a social media influencer and I contacted the organizer through the event's social media accounts to get a kiosk in the festival. We are greatly supported by Tamkeen to start our own business," said Ibrahim.
He added people can reach him through the social media accounts @CazaSouq on Twitter and Instagram.
Sharifah Al-Dowsari, Bahraini entrepreneur, said her business is Sado Caps where she sells caps with colloquial phrases printed on them.
"I saw the ad of the festival on the event's Instagram account and decided to participate in it. The Bahraini government is greatly encouraging. It holds several festivals and events in which Bahraini entrepreneurs can participate in," Al-Dowsari remarked.
She added people can reach me through my Instagram page @sado_caps_bh.
