(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
Doha: Expatriates and tourists who want to experience the traditional Qatari way of shopping will have the chance through Souq Waqif shopping tours organised for the first time as part of the upcoming Shop Qatar 2018.
The shopping tours will be conducted in partnership with Embrace Doha, a Qatari company specialising in cultural events and sessions.
'The Souq Waqif tours will let expatriates and tourists experience shopping the Qatari way. We will teach them about the souq itself, about certain stations in the souq, what to buy and from where, how to bargain - things that Qataris are interested in, Amal Al Shammari, CEO of Embrace Doha, told The Peninsula.
'We'll try to show them the Qatari side of shopping. This is the main idea, he said.
Shop Qatar, which is organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) for the second year, has a number of new features which include providing authentic shopping experiences to people through tours of Souq Waqif, the most popular traditional market in the country.
'We do whatever we can to help residents and tourists know more about Qatar by coming up with creative ideas to show them what Qatar is, said Al Shammari.
'We don't want to just provide information, we want people to experience Qatar and one way to do this is through the tours, explained Al Shammari.
Individuals interested in learning how to find their way through the traditional marketplace can join either the Women's, Men's or Family tours that will run between 5pm and 6.30pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The tours will guide groups of maximum 15 people through the Souq, stopping along the way to sample and learn about spices, incense, traditional food, art and clothes.
The Men's, Women's and Family tours will take different routes where tourists can explore more about the items they are interested in, said Al Shammari.
Through the souq tours, Shop Qatar also shows support to local entrepreneurs. Thirty pop-up shops will be set up in Mall of Qatar where small businesses can showcase their products and benefit from the high footfall generated by the festival, while providing the mall's visitors with an authentic Qatari experience.
Shop Qatar is also partnering with Qatar Development Bank (QDB) to provide several of the 30 pop-up shops to SMEs incubated and supported by the Bank.
'Shop Qatar is an ideal platform to achieve our goals of supporting home-based projects, motivating young entrepreneurs to access the Qatari market, engaging with competitors, identifying the mechanism of the market and gaining practical experience that helps them develop their business, and exploring new business opportunities. Our participation in Shop Qatar is part of many initiatives, programs and competitions offered by QDB to support and encourage new projects and creative ideas, Khalid Al Manaa, Executive Director of Business Finance at QDB said in a statement.
Scheduled from January 7 to February 7, Shop Qatar 2018 will offer mall-goers something new each week with a variety of themes celebrating cultural diversity including Arabian Week, Bollywood Week and International Weeks.
There will be a new set of concerts, fashion shows, master classes, pop-up workshops and other shows and activities based on the theme of the week.
'In its second edition, Shop Qatar invites residents and visitors to explore and embrace diversity through its differently themed weeks. The growing involvement and participation of partners from the private sector and local businesses is key to ensuring that our festivals reflect Qatar's culture, and the economic and social needs of its citizens and residents, Mashal Shahbik, Director of Festivals & Tourism Events at QTA commented.
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