Nearly 500,000 visitors have attended the second week of the Hayya Jeddah Shopping Festival 2012. Visitors have been treated to 20 cultural, entertainment and marketing activities in the Historical Area, Red Sea Mall and Corniche. The festival which was organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) aims to transform Jeddah into a global shopping city renown for it's many activities and forums. One of the top draws of the Hayya festival was a global child contest. Five thousand children participated in this contest which focused on creativity in public speaking, art, photography and quick performance and reaction. Entertainment also included folklore groups, programs on dexterity and visual tricks. Shoppers were offered discounts of more than 50 percent and the chance to see the world's oldest man. One lucky visitor even won a car which was given to him by the Deputy Secretary General of Jeddah Chamber, Hassan Dahlan. Dahlan said: “JCCI seeks to be the main organizer, promoter and marketer of tourist activities. It will transform Jeddah into a city where activities take place all year round. This will provide families and visitors with good entertainment.” He explained that the festival aims to boost economic and tourist activities and pointed out that the private sector provides 70 percent of the entertainment activities at the festival. “At the end of this festival, we will announce that Jeddah will be included in the list of shopping cities in the region and the whole world,” he said. This is just one of nine festivals which will be organized this year to support the tourist and economic sectors. Every year over five million visitors, tourists, expatriates and citizens from different regions of the Kingdom and nearby countries visit Jeddah. The head of the organizing committee, Muhammad Abdul Qadir Hafiz said the festival has achieved great success in its second week. “Jeddah will be one of the pioneering cities in economics and tourism as 1,500 JCCI members have formed seven committees to catapult Jeddah to the forefront of these sectors,” he said. Customers who intend to visit the Hayya Jeddah Shopping Festival can expect many more big sales and surprises. The festival runs for another two weeks at the end of which organizers will send their recommendations to the committees, so that hopefully next year's festival will be even better.
