SHARJAH RAMADAN FAIR SEES 17% RISE IN VISITORS

Register 104,466 visitors during its 24-day run Sharjah, 12 August 2013 The just-concluded Ramadan & Eid Fair at Expo Centre Sharjah turned out to be the best family shopping and entertainment destination this season, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. During its 24-day run that concluded on August 10, the Ramadan & Eid Fair saw an impressive 17 per cent rise in visitor footfalls — a growth figure not seen in the recent past, registering nearly 104,466 visitors over the past year's turnout of 89,332.

“What is more impressive is the fact that we have seen this encouraging rise in visitor numbers during the summer months when the school vacation is on. During this period, expat families are often out of the country, and the searing heat prevents people from coming out quite often. The 17 per cent rise is a record for the fair, and goes a long way to prove that the fair was indeed an irresistible proposition to both residents and visitors alike,” said Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General, Expo Centre Sharjah. The final tally of the visitor turnout shows that some days of the fair have seen over 50 per cent rise in visitors, reflecting how the show has become an indispensible part of Ramadan and Eid celebrations across the country and even the region.

Visitor analysis also shows that though the majority of visitors are from the country, the fair has seen a fair share of footfalls from the neighbouring GCC countries, who flock to the UAE to observe Ramadan and celebrate Eid. This year, the fair had packed enough entertainment, cultural, health and amusement activities to cater to visitors of all age groups and nationalities, besides featuring more than 200 exhibitors from across the world showcasing an extensive range of household and lifestyle products. Leaving a lingering taste of the fair in every visitor, the ‘Taste of Ramadan Week' had local and international chefs dishing out Emirati as well as international cuisine throughout the show. It featured chefs like Tarek Ibrahim, Robin Gomes, Muhammad Zakir Qureshi and Rajesh Devadas.

The Ramadan lecture series held every Thursday saw well-known scholars delivering their speeches in different languages — Arabic, English, Urdu and Tagalog — keeping in mind the expat population of the country. Besides, the heritage village, free health check-up organised by the Sharjah Health Zone, quiz contests and a chance to win fabulous prizes ensured that all the roads led to Expo Centre Sharjah every evening. There were plenty of activities for the little ones, which included magic shows, face painting, cartoon characters and folk dances, with special amusement and entertainment programmes added during the Eid holidays.