The Dubai Shopping Festival and the Great Singapore Sale may have competition from Aamchi Mumbai. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is planning a 'Mumbai Shopping Festival' to pitch the city as an integrated shopping and leisure hub and boost tourism.
"We are planning a fortnight-long Mumbai Shopping Festival in December to showcase a bouquet of shopping, culture, lifestyle, glamour and luxury experiences to domestic and foreign tourists. This will project Mumbai as a global shopping hub," a senior MTDC official told DNA.
The official said apart from discounts and promotions, the shopping festival would have cultural zones, exhibitions, kisan melas and events centered around themes like glamour, beauty, luxury, lifestyle and showbiz. These will be held at malls and grounds.
"We will also involve small retailers and big brands. While the shopping experience can be taken across Mumbai, we may hold events either at three locations — one each in the city, western and eastern suburbs — or in each of the six Lok Sabha constituencies," the official noted, adding that tourism minister Jaykumar Rawal had held a meeting with stakeholders.
The shopping festival, which may become an annual feature, is likely to be held for a fortnight after December 21.
Apart from offers and discounts, the MTDC will call on museums and art galleries to increase visiting hours. Requests will be made to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and airlines to reduce fares, and to the state excise department to allow restaurants and bars to remain open further into the night.
"We will request organisers to hold events like film festivals during this period. This will ensure that the fortnight sees maximum activity in Mumbai," the official explained.
Viren Shah, president, Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association, said the festival should not be restricted to just malls but also cover smaller retailers and shopkeepers. This would help these businesses at a time when they were facing intense competitions from online players, noted Shah.
