Sharjah: The Sharjah Shopping Festival will be held from March 3-19, 2016 at Expo Centre Sharjah (ECS), offering shopping discounts, raffles, a food court and themed pavilions.

The 17-day festival is expected to attract a large number of visitors, ECS said.

It has entered into an agreement with SAS Events, an event management and consulting company based in Sharjah, to organise the event.

The event will aim to take advantage of the rising spending by residents and tourists in the country, which was up by 10 per cent in the first three quarters of 2015, compared with the same period last year, according to a report on consumer spending by payment solutions provider Network International.

“Rising tourist arrivals and increases in population and income levels all augur well for an event like the Sharjah Shopping Festival, which will be a perfect opportunity for manufacturers and traders to meet tens of thousands of high-spending consumers,” said ECS CEO Saif Mohammad Al Midfa.

“It is probably f the first time that local businesses will be getting such a big platform to showcase their products to a wider audience. They will also get a chance to offer discounts and other deals in order to drive sales during the show.”