Invest News Detail
Sabah - Türkiye’s megacity is preparing to welcome at least a million shoppers in its second shopping festival that kicks off on June 9. Hundreds of businesses participating in the Istanbul Shopping Fest (ISF) 2012 will offer significant discounts and deals for the crowds of shoppers visiting the city for the 21-day retail event.
The city’s retailers expect to reach a turnover of TRY 7 billion in this year’s ISF, shortened to 21 days from last year’s 40 days. Shopping malls in the city will be open until 11 pm (23.00) to better accommodate the inflow of tourists with shopping in mind, while certain malls will remain open late into the night. Various shows, parties and concerts will take place on Istanbul’s fashionable streets to entertain the mass of shoppers. The festival aims to surpass last year’s visitor number of 773,000 people and attract at least a million tourists.
Istanbul’s visitors reached 2.5 million in the first four months of 2012, with occupancy rates in the city’s hotels hitting 90 percent. The total number of visitors to the city is expected to reach 9 million in 2012.