Sharjah: Almost half a million visitors descended on Sharjah for the International Book Fair in the first three days of the fair, organisers said.
More than 465,000 book lovers visited the Book Fair from November 5 to 7 — a record in the fair’s 33-year history, said Ahmad Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Director of Sharjah International Book Fair.
Al Ameri said the unprecedented number of visitors was due to the number and variety of events organised for the fair. The number of participating publishing houses this year — 1,256 from 59 countries — was also a crowd-puller.
Nearly 200,000 visitors came to the fair on the third day alone, Al Ameri said, adding that the overall expected number of visitors for the 11-day event is 25 per cent higher than last year.
More than 1,000,000 book lovers visited the fair in 2013, of whom 35 per cent were children, 25 per cent were teens, and the remaining 40 per cent were adults.
Parents and their children are given a particular focus at the fair to encourage children to become avid readers as they grow up. From November 8 to 11, one session will tackle this in-depth with parents and will include tips on why parents should revive the age-old practice of reading to their kids. The session will also guide them on when to start reading to their kids, what to read to them right from birth, and how to do it.
Another highlight of this year’s fair is the joint conference between the fair and the American Library Association that will be held for the first time in the region from November 11 to 13. The three-day conference and its parallel workshops will zoom in on issues related to librarians, academics, schools, government, and private libraries.
