The 35-day long shopping, fashion and entertainment extravaganza wrapped up with a joyful celebration at Doha Festival City
Shop Qatar's third edition of exciting retail offers, fashion-forward events and spectacular entertainment concluded with a grand finale on Sunday evening. The closing ceremony held at Doha Festival City's (DHFC) luxury hall featured the fourth and final raffle draw, announcing the festivals' last 11 of total 38 winners to win luxury cars and cash prizes worth 3 million QAR and was followed by a special music performance by rising Qatari star Aisha Aziani.
Mashal Shahbik from Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) commented, “The festivals organised by QNTC are curated to create unique experiences for residents and visitors while energising various sectors that contribute to the overall tourism experience." She added, "Shop Qatar has brought a strong start to 2019 and we look forward to giving our visitors new flavours to explore and enjoy at the tenth Qatar International Food Festival which will be announced soon.”
This year’s edition of the Festival ran for 35 days and included all of the winter season's most exciting events and festivities. Shop Qatar kicked off with the first National Day Trade Festival between 15-20 December, and continued with special retail, hospitality and entertainment across Qatar until Sunday, 20 January 2019.
Shop Qatar Design District
The festival's centrepiece attraction for this edition was the Shop Qatar Design District hosted at Doha Exhibition & Convention Center between 5-12 January. Over the course of eight days, visitors to the District were treated to a colourful showcase of fashion-forward events and activities - all under one roof. In addition to the 85 local and international pop-up shops, 8 F&B outlets, there were daily fashion shows featuring 20 world renowned designers from 9 countries and daily masterclasses with beauty experts, as well as engaging design dialogue at the Fashion Speakers Corner organised by Fashion Trust Arabia.
India-Qatar Year of Culture 2019
In line with the India-Qatar Year of Culture, Shop Qatar was among the country's first events to celebrate Indian culture and provide avenues for cultural exchange. The Shop Qatar Design District showcased the latest creations for renowned Indian fashion designers Tarun Tahliani, Namrata Joshipura, Raghvendra Rathore, Schulen Fernandes of Wendell Rodricks and Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango.
HE Shri. P. Kumaran, the Ambassador of India to Qatar, visited the Design District and commented, “I am pleased to see the Shop Qatar Design District featuring prominent Indian designers among other international names. The layout and the feel of the District is very innovative and original. I am also glad to see the great response and participation of the Indian community at these events. I would like to thank QNTC for including these fashion shows to add value to the India-Qatar Year of Culture 2019.”
In addition, Shop Qatar featured a live concert by famous Bollywood singer Arijit Singh who enthralled his audience at a packed Lusail Sports Arena on Friday, 18 January.
Winners of the Final Raffle Draw
The five winners of the QAR 10,000 cash prizes in the fourth and final week’s raffle draw are Zavarise Alessandro (222288), Mohamed Salah Almulla (293032), Abdelrahman Khalid al-ibrahim (224859), Zariha mat (293840), and Houssam Mohamed ahmadani (077348). The winner of QAR 50,000 is Noura yusuf Mohamed (384750) and the biggest cash prize of QAR 100,000 went to Lulua Faisal Abdallah (380034). Four fortunate shoppers: Jassim Hillal Al Kuwari (220017), Abdalah Mohamed Sherif (217562), Dhamma Singh (361700), and Mohamed Said (295691) got to update their ride this year with Jaguar X- E (2018), Jaguar E- Pace (2019), Land Rover Discovery Sport (2019), and Range Rover Velar (2019) respectively.
In addition to hosting the closing ceremony, DHFC had exclusive in-mall entertainment and roaming shows, and fun for the whole family throughout the month.
Hisham Elzubeir, Marketing Manager from DHFC commented, “We are delighted that Doha Festival City was chosen for the closing ceremony of Shop Qatar for the 3rd consecutive year. We hope that everyone enjoyed the fun festivities organized by the Qatar National Tourism Council as well as the live concert by Aisha. I would also like congratulate all the prize winners and thank our retailers who have contributed to this amazing event, ensuring we continue to create memorable moments for our shoppers."
Shop Qatar 2019 Partners
Shop Qatar 2019 had 14 retail partners in Doha and beyond offering up to 50% discounts. The participating retailers were in Al Mirqab Mall, AlKhor Mall, City Centre, Dar Al Salam Mall, Doha Festival City, Gulf Mall, Hyatt Plaza, Lagoona Mall, Landmark Mall, Mall of Qatar, Royal Plaza, Tawar Mall, The Gate Mall & The Pearl-Qatar.
The Strategic Partners of the festival included: Fashion Trust Arabia, Katara Hospitality, Qatar Airways, Makeup District, Apparel Group, AlFardan Premier Motors, and Vodafone Qatar.
Music Concerts
In addition to the Indian concert by Arijit Singh, Shop Qatar 2019 featured two more live music concerts, one featuring Pakistani band Strings and singers Ali Sethi and Quratulain Baloch and another with famous American pop singers Bazzi and Boyce Avenue.
For further information, please contact QNTC’s Press Office on:
+974 4499 7882 or +974 3392 4466 | pressoffice@visitqatar.qa
About Shop Qatar
Shop Qatar is a month-long festival that celebrates the country’s diverse retail offerings. Held during the winter, the Festival invites residents and visitors to enjoy special experiences at malls, bazaars and in scenic outdoor spaces.
The Festival forms a part of QNTC’s strategy to grow and diversify the country’s tourism offering, particularly in the area of family and urban entertainment. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of partners in both the public and private sector, residents and visitors can benefit from special travel, accommodation and retail offers throughout the country.
The first two editions of Shop Qatar, held in 2017 and 2018, contributed an estimated 1.06 and 1.5 billion QAR respectively, to the local economy. #ShopQatar
Find Shop Qatar online
Facebook: QatarCalendar | Instagram: @QatarCalendar | Twitter: @QatarCalendar
About Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC)
Qatar National Tourism Council’s mission is to firmly establish Qatar on the global map as a place where cultural authenticity meets modernity, and where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in culture, sports, business and family entertainment.
The QNTC’s work is guided by the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS), which seeks to diversify the country’s tourism offering and increase the sector’s contribution to Qatar’s economy by 2030. In 2017, the Next Chapter of QNTSS was launched, charting the next five years (2018-2023) of the tourism sector’s growth.
In 2018, QNTC launched a global destination campaign under the tagline 'Qatar, Qurated for you.' Curating requires professional or expert knowledge to select, organise and present unique experiences. As such, the Qurated campaign plays on the word's definition and the destination brand's iconic Q to underscore the country's focus on delivering tailored visitor-centric experiences.
Since launching QNTSS, Qatar has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The economic impact of the tourism sector in Qatar is becoming increasingly visible with 2016 estimates showing a total (direct and indirect) contribution to Qatar’s GDP of 6.7%. www.visitqatar.qa
