‘Shopping festival aimed at jolting tourism, trade movement’

AMMAN – Jordan's Shopping Festival will kick-off on Friday, promising visitors a "unique" shopping experience at competitive prices, according to organisers.

For a whole month, shops participating in the festival will sell various commodities at malls and other shopping centres across the Kingdom at "reasonable prices".

"The idea behind the festival is to activate the tourism and trade movement after a period of stagnation," said Asad Qawasmi, the festival committee's rapporteur.

As the event coincides with several other cultural festivals, such as Jerash and Fuheis, the Amman Chamber of Commerce has cooperated with the Jordan Tourism Board and the Ministry of Culture to display products in tourist areas. 

"More than 500 vendors have subscribed to participate in the shopping fiesta, which we expect to attract half-a-million tourists and expatriates," Qawasmi said, noting that recreational contests and cultural events will be staged on the sidelines of the festival, held in cooperation with public and private sectors.

"This is the first time such an event is organised in Jordan and we hope it will succeed in stimulating trade movement," he said, noting that only traders who participate in the festival are allowed to offer discounts on their products. 

The festival concludes on August 15.