Doha Jewelry & Watches Exhibition Witnesses Unprecedented Rise in Visitors

Doha, February 19 (QNA) -The 8th edition of Doha Jewelry & watches exhibition has attracted 20% more visitors in comparison of last year, according to exhibitors.
This year s edition, organized by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), is hosting 450 designers with more than 50,000 people expected to visit.
The exhibition is currently on its fifth day and continues to attract growing numbers of visitors from the neighboring Gulf countries in general, and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait in particular.
Despite global economic crisis which has inflated the prices of Jewelry worldwide. Exhibitors said that attendance levels are good and that procurement continues which, they explain, meant that participating in this year s exhibition heaped financial benefits on their brands.
General Manager of Al-Majed Jewelry Ahmed El-Majed, was one of many exhibitors thrilled with this year s edition of the exhibition, he said: "the 8th edition of Doha Jewelry & Watches Exhibition has become one of the finest exhibitions regionally and internationally."
"This wouldn t have been the case if it weren t for the country s (Qatar) vision and its support for the exhibition since the first edition". He added.
Qatar s support to the exhibition is what added a touch of glamour to this edition and enthralled the visitors by introducing all that is new to the world of jewelry.
Al Majed was pleased with the visiting levels and said that wide ethnic variety of visitors, even if the main core was from the Gulf countries, reflects the international pedigree of the exhibition.
General Manager of Al-Muftah Jewelry Hussein Mohammed said that his section has witnessed a rise in visitors by approximately 20%.
Head of QTA s organizing and license-issuing committee Lahdan El Mehanadi, agrees and says that the 8th edition is the most successful one of the exhibitions. Citing that 20,000 people have already visited the exhibition by Friday, a record number.
Mohammed said that the economic crisis had a varied effect on products at the exhibition, he said: "There aren t noticeable changes in watch prices in general. It is Jewelry that has soared (in price) due to the rise in prices of gold and diamonds globally".
Vice President of Blue Salon Nabil Abu Eissa, said that the exhibition represents the ultimate reflection of the strength of Qatar s economy and its continuing growth. He added that this year s edition represents a fantastic opportunity for attracting foreign investment due to the presence of a significant number of international brands. Abu Eissa predicts that the Doha jewelry & watches exhibition will in the future become one of the most important jewelry exhibitions in the world.
The 8th edition of the Doha Jewelry and watches exhibition started on Monday February 15 and will last for six days, ending on February 20th.