ArabWeeks

Under the slogan ‘A Brand New Tradition’, the first edition of Shop Qatar will kick-off in January with discounts on popular brands, cash prizes worth up to QAR 4 million, special offers on flights and hotel bookings, and a colourful schedule of entertainment featuring Cats the Broadway musical, live music concerts and 15 stand-up comedy acts.

The festival, which will be held from 7 January to 7 February 2017, was announced today by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and festival partners including, Mall of Qatar, Qatar Airways and Ezdan World.

Retail outlets around the country will be providing discounts of up to 50% on a range of consumer goods including clothes, electronics, cosmetics and accessories for men, women and children. In addition to Mall of Qatar, which opened last week to become the largest shopping and entertainment hub in the nation, participating malls include Ezdan Mall, Hyatt Plaza, AlKhor Mall, Lagoona Mall, Gulf Mall, Landmark, Dar Al Salam Mall, The Gate and The Pearl-Qatar.

Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer at QTA, explained why the time is ripe for Qatar to host this festival. “Qatar enjoys a diverse retail sector, offering everything from luxury malls and high-end shopping promenades to entertainment-rich shopping centres, as well as authentic souqs and bazaars. Shop Qatar will shed light on this rich offering and celebrate it with Qatar’s residents and visitors.”

He added, “Based on the increases in visitor arrivals during the months that have coincided with other tourism festivals, we anticipate that a festival during the winter months has an even bigger chance of attracting visitors, due to the offering combined with Qatar’s great winter weather. Shop Qatar is also timed to fall within mid-year holidays for potential visitors in neighbouring countries, which are our largest source markets.”

In a move by QTA to support local entrepreneurs, Shop Qatar will also feature local products designed by students of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and other local designers, which will be displayed in a variety of pop-up stores throughout the participating malls. In addition, visitors can benefit from experts on the latest fashion and make-up trends through make-up tutorials which will be offered throughout the period of the festival and a fashion show during the final week.

Ahmad Al Mulla, Mall of Qatar CEO said, “The launch of Shop Qatar marks a new age in retail in Qatar. At Mall of Qatar, we are aligned with the efforts of Qatar Tourism Authority in bringing new streams of economic development and diversity to our country. At the same time we aim to change the paradigm of shopping centers in our region by bringing the first retailtainment shopping experience to Qatar.”

Enticing Travel and Accommodation Offers

To offer tourists the chance to conveniently travel, stay and shop in Qatar, QTA has partnered with Qatar Airways and popular hotel booking platforms to offer discounted air travel and tourist accommodation packages. Any flights to Qatar from within the GCC region booked on Qatar Airways for the period between 7 January and 7 February will be available with a 25% discount. In addition, members of Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club will receive double Q-miles on their booking during Shop Qatar.

Visitors to Shop Qatar can also take advantage of a range of accommodation offers at Qatar’s globally-recognised hospitality sector, when booking through Expedia.com and Booking.com.

Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Middle East, Africa & Pakistan – Mr Ehab Amin said: “We are proud to be associated with the Shop Qatar event, as it gives us an amazing opportunity to offer our award-winning services to more travellers, welcome them on board, and inviting them to stay and shop in Qatar. During Shop Qatar , we are offering carefully designed flight packages for GCC travellers with up to 25% discount, and double Qmiles to encourage our customers to turn their stop-over into a shop-over.”

Lively Entertainment for The Whole Family

Organisers also confirmed that Shop Qatar will offer a rich array of live cultural shows, performances by singing sensations and unlimited family-friendly entertainment in a festive, safe environment that reflects local culture and heritage.

Cats, the longest-running show on Broadway, will show from the 1st to the 4th of February 2017 at Qatar National Convention Centre. Tickets for the musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber will be available for purchase at Virgin Megastores outlets, starting at QAR 150 per ticket.

Two concerts which will feature Arab and Khaliji singers will take place on 20th January 2017 and 27th January 2017 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. Tickets will go on sale at all Virgin Megastores outlets and will range in price from QAR 120 to QAR 1,250.

The Doha Comedy Festival will be returning with an extensive line up of Khaliji, Arab, and international comedians, who will entertain audiences over a three-day fiesta of stand-up and humorous storytelling from 2nd to 4th February 2017 at Qatar National Convention Centre. Tickets will be on sale at all Virgin Megastores outlets with ticket prices ranging from QAR 120- QAR 1000.

Participating retail partners will also host exclusive in-mall entertainment and roaming mall shows, with fun for the whole family.

Outdoor Fun Fair

And, to capitalise on Qatar’s splendid winter weather, Shop Qatar has partnered with Ezdan World to offer a fun fair to visitors at the Magical Festival Village, which will be held beside Katara Cultural Village this winter. The Village houses over 400 shopping outlets, dozens of cafes and restaurants, bordered by public seating areas where visitors can relax and enjoy the ambience and lovely climate.

Chances to win cash prizes worth up to QAR 4,000,000

Shoppers who spend QAR 200 at any of the participating retailers can enter a weekly raffle draw at Mall of Qatar for a chance to win cash prizes worth up to QAR 4 million. Draws will be held on the first three Fridays of the Festival (13th, 20th, 27th of January), with 15 cash prizes ranging from QAR 10,000 to QAR 300,000 to be won each week.

The draws will culminate in a mega-draw on the final day of Shop Qatar (7th February 2017) where a jackpot prize of QAR 1,000,000 will be up for grabs, in addition to 14 other cash prizes ranging from QAR 20,000 to QAR 120,000.

Details of more events and activations will be announced during the course of the coming few weeks. To find out more, visit www.shopqatar.qa and follow the dedicated Shop Qatar social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Riyadh Marriott Hotel received the “2016 Luxury Hotel and Conference Center” award, while Marriott Executive Apartments, Riyadh Makarim received the “2016 Luxury Serviced Apartment” award. The awards were granted by the World Luxury Hotel Awards within a ceremony that was held St. Regis Hotel Doha on Saturday, 29 October 2016.

Its strategic location, premium services, and integrated facilities had placed Riyadh Marriott Hotel as one of the most authentic hotels in Riyadh and reinforced its position as the destination for Business and Leisure travelers.

“These awards come as a recognition of the relentless efforts of the Marriott team who continuously work on delivering the best international standards.” Says Mr. Ayman Sallam, Director of Sales and Marketing at Marriott Hotel.

He added “Our goal is to continuously provide our guests with unique hotel services and these awards like their prior will give us the drive to satisfy the various expectations and needs of our guests. We are committed to dedicating the global knowledge we have gained over the years to improve the quality of the Hospitality sector in the Kingdom.

Furthermore, the Vice President of Property and Assets at Dur Hospitality, Mr. Sultan Al Otaibi said: “Riyadh Marriott Hotel is the first 5 stars’ hotel in the Kingdom, and it represents the first fruit of our partnership with Marriott International dating back to over 40 years.

He continued: “We are proud of the partnership we have with Marriott International and seek to implement all our capabilities and expertise in the field of hotel operations to enhance this partnership through the development of new hotels within the franchise agreement that was concluded earlier this year.”

Saudi Arabia’s Geographic location, its economic significance, and the host to two of the holiest Islamic sites in the world boosts the Kingdom’s positioning as the business hub of the region and the world.

These pillars highly support the Kingdom’s Hospitality sector as it is main role is to accommodate the anticipated increase in the number of visitors to the Kingdom whether they come for business, tourism or religious purposes.

Several plans are being developed to restore major historic and touristic sites across the kingdom to position Saudi Arabia on the World tourism map. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) works to enhance the role of tourism sector as major contributor in achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020.

In light of all the above, Makarem is participating for the 2nd year in a row in the World Travel Market (WTM), the leading global event for the travel industry and industry professionals that will be held in London during the period from 7-9 November 2016.

Makarem, the Saudi hotel brand of Dur Hospitality, participates in WTM to shed light on the Kingdom’s huge tourism potential, and to represent, as a Saudi Brand, the expertise of local operators.

Dr. Dennis Sorin, President of Hotel Operations at Dur Hospitality, “Makarem is participating in this international event to showcase its development strategy and expansion plan, thus enhancing the brand’s position as a Saudi brand specialized in providing its hospitality services for the holy cities as per the international hospitality standards.”

Sr. Sorin added, “Makarem hotels are widely spread across the Kingdom and our endeavor is to showcase our expertise in hotel operations which makes Makarem the partner of choice for hotel owners who are looking for a trusted partner that can operate their hotel property on their behalf.”

Dr. Sorin added, “Customers’ satisfaction is our mission at Makarem and Participating in such an event allows us to understand the increased needs and demands of international religious or business visitors thus achieving a higher return on investment for our stakeholders. Makarem’s innovative services has surpassed the traditional norm in an attempt to enrich the the customers’ experience throughout their stay”

Despite some limited rights, the Saudi woman has been able to deservedly prove her presence in all vital and developing sectors in the Kingdom, having overcome many obstacles and challenges, which enabling her to occupy leading positions and become an active member of the community.

Since female contribution limitation in real estate was visibly clear, RAFAL was prompted to place a new unconventional standard in a strategy of hiring women in various departments of the company.  An approach based on the company’s belief in the importance of the female influence in the real estate sector.

Accordingly, RAFAL Real Estate development company announced that female personnel account for 20% of total company employees, holding positions in marketing, sales, engineering, design, accounting and human resources.

To empower ladies to compete and excel in the real estate sector, RAFAL was committed to create an attractive and supportive work environment and to help them in developing their professional skills and capabilities through the use of advanced technologies and training, thus overcoming the obstacles that were faced by women within companies operating in the sector.

RAFAL Real Estate Development Company attributed the challenges faced by women in this sector to several factors; whether from regulations and procedures or other professionals in the industry neglecting the acceptance of women working among them. Thus the company is seeking to encourage the enrollment of women in the real estate sector, both residential or commercial, that would attract other women to step in.

It is worth mentioning that RAFAL Real Estate Development Company, established at the end of 2007, is specialized in developing integrated high-end residential communities. The company’s mission revolves around developing various residential communities. RAFAL is committed to providing consistent value for its long term partners in success.

The Riyadh Motor Show kicked off today, Tuesday 29 November 2016, at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibitions Center. Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Transport, the show was inaugurated by Eng. Hathlool AL Hathloul, Deputy Minister of transport and Roads and will continue for 4 days.

The 30th edition of the Riyadh Motor Show, is witnessing several “new model launches” for the biggest automotive companies in the region and exclusively highlights the reveal of more than 10 model cars displayed for the first time ever, exhibiting the latest technological advancements recorded in the automotive industry.

With more than 60 international automotive companies and car dealers and auto manufacturers representing the most renowned car brands, The Riyadh Motor show is being held concurrently with the Saudi Auto Shop, and the Saudi Power Sports shows thus providing an integrated dedicated platform for the automotive industry.

The shows also offers several activities and entertainment for all visitors and automotive enthusiasts.

The organizing company of Riyadh Motor Show, Riyadh Exhibitions Co., emphasized the significance of this show as the ideal platform for automotive companies to reveal their latest car models, and showcase the automotive trends of 2017.

The high interest for power sports witnessed recently in the kingdom was one of the main reasons to dedicate a full section in the exhibition to display the latest model of sport vehicles and motorcycles.

Riyadh Motor Show is the Pit stop for car enthusiast and auto manufacturers, who are keen to preview the latest car models accessories, and all automotive related parts. The show marked its presence on the Global Exhibitions map, thus highlighting the magnitude of the automotive industry in the Middle East. The noticeable growth of the exhibition was reflected by the huge participation of the leading international companies, which in turn led to its international recognition.