Retailers and shops at participating malls have stepped up efforts to attract more customers by offering a wide range of promotions as Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) 2016 is now in  full swing.
Reduced prices and special offers, among others are all part of QSF’s shopping promotions organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) to boost the hospitality and retail sectors during the off-peak season.
Speaking to Gulf Times, a manager of a garments shop at City Center Doha said they normally launch sales promotions in time for the annual festival.
“We always see an increase in sales during this period,” she said, noting that shopping activity particularly on non-food items usually slows down after the Eid al-Fitr holidays.
She noted that shoppers also try to stretch their purchases to at least QR200 or more to get raffle coupons for the festival’s weekly draw. 
Besides cash prizes worth QR800,000, the festival will be giving away four Jaguar sedans to winners this year. The first raffle draw at Hyatt Plaza Mall will take place on August 11.
Dedicated stalls at participating malls also have started to receive an increasing number of shoppers who fill up and drop coupons in designated drop boxes.
Many shops and boutiques had seen an increasing number of mall-goers since the launch of QSF especially with the opening of Entertainment City at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, according to the manager.
An employee of a shop selling children’s clothes and accessories shared the same views saying that a lot of families who came from the City also spend time to shop at the mall.
“We actually expect more female customers, mostly mothers, to shop during these ‘sale seasons’ because they really anticipate such promotions,” she explained. “Men buy things they like whether there are promotions or none.”
A number of shops offer ‘Buy 2 get 1’ promos, ‘20% to 50% off’ on many items, and reduced prices for other products such as eye glasses, sports apparel, shoes, bags, and others.
The Pearl-Qatar, another QSF venue, will also start hosting several entertainment activities from today (August 5).
Roaming musical acts, and parades will be held at dedicated locations in Porto Arabia, as well as Medina Centrale, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm today, tomorrow, August 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27.
Aqua Park is also offering a special ‘2 tickets for one’ promo to visitors and residents in this year’s festival. 
Festival venues, particularly malls, are also expecting more visitors and families from neighbouring GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia, who frequently spend a good portion of their summer in Qatar.
Aiming to attract more local and foreign visitors to the country, QTA is building sustainable and long term events such as QSF, which forms part of its annual tourism calendar.