Dubai: The 33rd Sharjah Ramadan Festival has wrapped up another successful edition on Monday, after revitalizing the retail sector and markets in the Emirate of Sharjah. Throughout the holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr celebrations, the festival offered residents and visitors exceptional shopping and entertainment experiences in malls and popular destinations. With a plethora of promotions, significant discounts, valuable prizes, and an entertaining atmosphere, the festival achieved tremendous success and left a lasting impact on those who attended.This year's Festival, organized by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), exceeded sales expectations, generating approximately AED 300 million and achieving a growth rate of 20%. This success has further cemented Sharjah's leading position as a global destination for shopping and entertainment.Attracting a diverse range of consumers and shoppers from various backgrounds and nationalities, the festival featured enticing offers and discounts tailored to meet their needs. Additionally, numerous entertaining events were held, enriching the overall experience and contributing to the festival's popularity. The event has also boosted the retail sector's momentum in Sharjah, showcasing the Emirate's ability to provide a vibrant and engaging atmosphere for visitors and residents alike."The remarkable success of the 33rd Sharjah Ramadan Festival, in terms of both sales volume and attracting thousands of shoppers, reaffirms the event's status as one of the region's most significant festivals." "Its crucial role in bolstering the retail sector and providing strong support to Sharjah's economy further solidifies the emirate's standing among the world's premier shopping destinations," said H.E. Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General of SCCI.For his part, Abdulaziz Mohammed Shattaf, Assistant Director-General of the Communication and Business Sector at the Sharjah Chamber, said: "Our surveys indicate that both public turnout and merchant satisfaction during this year's Ramadan Festival season were highly positive across the emirate. The event played a pivotal role in the remarkable recovery of commercial activity, as reflected in the substantial sales volume achieved. The Sharjah Chamber is committed to enhancing the festival's activities in future editions, working closely with sectoral groups to launch innovative initiatives, organize captivating events, and deliver even more enjoyable and novel experiences for all."Meanwhile, Ibrahim Rashid Al Jarwan, Director of Economic Relations and Marketing at SCCI, and General Coordinator of the Festival, said: "The organizers and sponsors of this year's festival have truly outdone themselves, ensuring a diverse and engaging agenda that features a wide array of promotional and heritage events presented by shopping malls. Furthermore, numerous entertainment activities were held throughout Sharjah's cities, along with special offers catered to families and children across the emirate. Their concerted efforts have contributed immensely to the festival's success."

Dubai: Emirates will be expanding its schedule this week to offer 38 additional flights across six cities in the GCC and Middle East to meet significant demand for Eid Al Fitr holiday travel. This year, more than 110,000 travellers are expected to board Emirates flights during Eid Al Fitr across the region, with additional flights planned for Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Medina, Kuwait and Beirut.In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Emirates will be adding four extra flights between 19-29 April to and from Riyadh to cater to Saudi travelers looking to venture to Dubai and beyond. In Jeddah, the airline will be operating three daily A380s, and will additionally layer on six flights operated by its Boeing 777 to serve the peak travel holiday period from the city between 20-25 April.Emirates will boost its flights to Dammam from 18 to 21 weekly, starting from 20 April until 31 May with additional flights scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays to connect travelers to their favorite holiday getaways. Travelers from Medina will have the choice of an additional 16 flights in the month of April to accommodate those travelling inbound for Umrah, as well as travelers looking to start their holidays earlier.This year, Emirates customers in KSA will be venturing to Dubai for their Eid Al Fitr celebrations, in addition to the Maldives, London, Phuket, Mauritius, Manila and Paris.In Kuwait, Emirates will operate an additional eight flights for Eid with its Boeing 777 from 20-27 April. Popular destinations for Kuwaiti travelers this year include Dubai, Maldives, Phuket, Bangkok, London, Mauritius and Milan.Emirates will offer an additional flight on 23 April on the airline’s existing Beirut schedule to accommodate for more travelers as they head home to visit friends and relatives.Upholding Eid traditions and keeping in with its proud Middle Eastern heritage, the airline will be serving a specially crafted Eid menu for customers between 21-24 April for flights departing from Dubai. Favourites like chicken mandi, mansaf, samka harra, samak matfi, madfoon, and Gulf style braised lamb will be served onboard, among other moreish dishes.All Emirates customers connecting in Dubai and travelling onwards during this time will be treated to delicious sweets and desserts, like warm date pudding in First Class, a fluffy vanilla sponge cake with white chocolate and hibiscus cream in Business and Premium Economy Class, and Batheetha – a saffron date crumble, or a sweet pumpkin Asseda, topped with roasted cashew nuts in Economy Class. All passengers will also receive an additional mini treat of ashta sfouf with their meal wishing them ‘Eid Mubarak’.Customers entering Emirates’ First Class lounges on the first day of Eid will be welcomed with Arabic coffee, traditional jallab and kamarrudin juices, mezze, lamb or Emirati ouzi, followed by regional favourites kunafa and baklava ice-cream. Special Eid mocktails will also be served across both First and Business Class lounges. Business Class lounges will serve special Eid dishes and desserts during this time as well.

Designed by gifted students from the Rashid Centre, the Amazon.ae Eid Electronic Gift Cards collection represents a modern interpretation of the “Eiddeyyah”, the traditional gift-giving customCustomers can gift ‘Eiddeyyah’ to families and friends with Amazon.ae Eid eGift Cards, giving them the chance to choose from a selection of millions of local and international products available across categories such as beauty, fashion, and home The Eid collection is now available on Amazon.ae/giftcards or through the Amazon app, giving customers the chance to choose from balance amounts between AED 1 up to AED 6,000 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: In preparation for Eid al-Fitr, Amazon.ae is announcing its collaboration with the Rashid Centre for People of Determination to create this year’s special edition Amazon.ae Eid Electronic Gift Cards (eGift Cards) for customers in the UAE. The newly launched collection features colourful artwork designed exclusively by gifted students from the Rashid Centre, a Dubai-based humanitarian organization providing integrated education services and therapies for children of determination. The Amazon.ae Eid eGift Cards are now available for purchase at a variety of balance amounts on Amazon.ae/giftcards or through the Amazon app.Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President for Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said: “At Amazon, we are committed to bringing varying backgrounds, ideas, and points of views together, as we continue to invent on behalf of our customers. This year, we are thrilled to have collaborated with the Rashid Centre, witnessing the incredible talent their students possess, and working with them to showcase their art to our millions of customers through the Amazon.ae Eid eGift Cards. This collaboration forms part of our continued effort to bring joy to our customers, offering them more ways to gift each other during Eid, while raising awareness around the homegrown, diverse, incredible, and inspiring talent that resides in the UAE.”

According to a study conducted by Toluna, a leading provider of market research and consumer insights, the United Arab Emirates market has projected higher expenditure estimates for the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr in 2023 compared to 2022.As per the study, consumer shopping intention in the UAE for the upcoming period will increase by 33% this year compared to last year. The increase can be seen across all sectors, including entertainment (up by 25% from last year), and groceries (up by 23%), socializing (up by 24%), traveling abroad (up by 21%), staycation (up by 28%), food delivery (up by 28%), and cosmetics (up by 28%).The survey shows that the majority of respondents, 91%, plan to give Eid presents this year, with children (64%), parents (52%), and friends (45%) being the primary recipients. Specifically, 39% of respondents plan to increase their spending on Eid gifts, 48% aim to make the occasion more special this year to compensate for the pandemic years and to treat themselves and their loved ones. 41% noted that prices are higher this year, and as a consequence they plan on spending more on gifts, and 33% intend to give gifts to more people this year.Sweets, toys, cash, and perfumes ranked high on the list of most popular Eid gifts for family members: sweets, dates, and chocolates (57%), cash money (Al Ayadi-48%), toys and games (37%), and perfumes (48%), followed by cosmetics and beauty products (28%), and fashion clothing (42%).Additionally, the poll found that purchasing for fashion, toys, and games is migrating to e-commerce, with 100% planning to do more shopping for these items online during the Holy Month this year; 36% of respondents shop online multiple times each week, mostly for fashion, toys, and games.Consumer expectations regarding brands during RamadanWhen asked which factors influenced their decision to purchase during Ramadan, 53% chose deals and promotions above price (56%). According to the study, consumers would like to see brands be more generous during the Holy Month, with 49% wanting to see better promotions and special deals; for example, (67%) would like to receive product discounts when purchasing car insurance, and (56%) are interested in free gift vouchers. Although 59% anticipate banks to give discounts on shopping during Ramadan, 49% expect discounts on dining out and 43% on delivery.Moreover, 42% preferred brand advertising to be inspired by the spirit of the month and focused on charity and donations, while 41% preferred brand marketing to be centered on positive values. "We saw a considerable rise in plans to spend, with customers prioritizing purchases connected to food, apparel, and gifts for their loved ones," said George Akkaoui Enterprise Account Director, Toluna MEA , commenting on the survey’s findings. “During Ramadan, brands must understand the cultural importance of the month and customize their marketing activities accordingly. By giving unique discounts, promotions, and producing content that is aligned with the spirit of the season content, organizations may engage with customers on a deeper level and embed brands in the community, since the impact they make during this Holy Month can have a long-term influence on customer loyalty".