Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008

Dubai: Sharjah is gearing up for the upcoming 2008 Sharjah Ramadan Festival (SRF), which has chalked up a huge budget amounting to Dh20 million, a Dh3 million increase from last year.

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Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI)Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) general manager Hussain Al Mahmoudi said they have allocated Dh11 million of the budget for prizes and Dh3 to Dh4 million for promotion.

Touted as the most prominent event in Sharjah during Ramadan, the SRF is more than a month-long festival that features different events held across the emirate, with the aim of enhancing the city's economic, social and cultural image. It also seeks to increase awareness of Sharjah as a tourist destination and boost its position in the fairs, exhibitions and festivals industry.

Organised by the SCCI in collaboration with other federal ministries, establishments and government departments, the 2008 edition is expected to surpass the retail sales of the 2007 by 15 to 20 per cent.

Organisers are also bullish to smash last year's, as the number of activities and participating partners and sponsors have grown.

"Sales of this year's festival will supersede that of last year because the purchasing power of the consumers is now strong. They are making more money today and are enjoying better living standards," Al Mahmoudi told Gulf News. "Besides, people are also going back to school and there's Ramadan and Eid holidays to celebrate. All of these will increase the value of our sales during the festival."

He said they have chalked out various themes for the festival, offering a host of sports, religious, cultural, environmental, social and other activities for residents, families and visitors to enjoy. About 28 museums have signed up for the event and participating business outlets are likely to exceed 3,500.

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA)Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) also announced yesterday its sponsorship of the festival.

"The Sharjah Ramadan Festival has elements and components that contribute on a large scale to Sharjah's burgeoning tourist and commercial sectors. The intensive promotional offers included in the festival attract ever greater number of tourists from within the region to the emirate," said Mohammad Al No'man, SCTDASCTDA director-general.

By Cleofe Maceda

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