Kuwait's third shopping festival "Hala February 2001" got underway on Wednesday with a brightly decorated procession by thousands of participants and spectators.
The two-hour opening ceremony went ahead in front of a large crowd, which filled the seafront Gulf Road, but a firework display had to be cancelled because of strong winds.
Organizers said they are expecting more than 130,000 foreign visitors during the January 24-February 22 festival, when the prices of flights and accommodation will be heavily discounted.
Many shops and commercial centers are offering discounts of over 50 percent. Last year's festival raised $165 million in sales and $270 million in other services.
This year's festival will continue to feature musical shows and cultural activities despite opposition from Islamist MPs in the past two years. A number of top Arab singers are expected to participate.
Hala organizers are offering foreign visitors easy visas and 50 percent discounts on flights as well as five-star hotel accommodation for 30 dinars ($100) a night.
The festival aims to promote tourism in this Gulf Arab state, which has more than 290 kilometers (180 miles) of coastline and plans to turn a number of uninhabited islands into tourist centers.
Kuwait remains a religiously conservative country, where alcohol and discos are banned. But it is the only Gulf Arab monarchy to have an elected parliament, although women do not have the vote. — (AFP, Kuwait City)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
