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Dubai: The 19th edition of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival is set to experience a hike in participation with the number of retail participants surpassing those last year.
Hussain Mohammad Al Mahmoudi, Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organiser of the festival, said, "We have already exceeded the number of participants last year which was 3,500 and we continue to register more."
He said the event has seen steady growth over the years. "This is also a reflection of the economic growth of the whole country and especially Sharjah."
The budget allocated increased from about Dh18 million to Dh22 million within a year, Al Mahmoud said.
"Ramadan festival is an example of trade and promotion activity that we do to boost the retail and commercial members of the chamber. The idea is to generate business and to get people to visit the outlets, to support the business community in general," he said.
Biggest event
The festival will run until after Eid Al Fitr and will play host to a range of cultural, religious and environmental activities.
"The biggest event will be the Sharjah Expo, commencing on September 17 for two weeks of shopping activities, a heritage city and activities for children, in Expo City," Al Mahmoud said.
He added that the primary target are the people living in the UAE, rather than tourists, and so the events have been organised accordingly.
An Islamic art festival will be launched tomorrow as part of the festival, Al Mahmoud told Gulf News.
Additionally, prominent Islamic scholars will be hosted along with the coordination of social gatherings such as Sharjah Tatweer Forum Majlis to discuss social, religious and political topics.
The event is also enjoying a surge in sponsorship. "The growth in sponsors is a reflection of how the industry is growing," Al Mahmoud said.
Currently, there are 22 sponsors for this year's Ramadan Festival.
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