Sunday evening (November 23, 2009) saw the inauguration of the astounding Goa Shopping Festival by the state’s Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in Panaji, the capital city. The festival was started amid much fanfare, with locals and tourists flocking the place to catch a glimpse of the bigwigs.
The CM declared the launch of the festival at the crossroads of the Panaji’s 18th June Road, by cutting the ribbon. It was followed by Goan traditional folk dance performance. The festival was led by a brass band and gleamed by Bollywood actors Nana Patekar and Divya Dutta; Manoj Srivastava, CEO of the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG); Yatin Parekh, Deputy Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Panaji; Manohar Parrikar, Leader of the Opposition; Chandrakant ‘Babu' Kavlekar, Quepem MLA; and officials of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
Goa Shopping Festival overlaps with the 40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), but is supposed to attract the tourists and delegates alike, as it will boost the state’s tourism sector. It is expected that around 64 popular retailers will participate in the event. The delegates visiting the film festival will be provided with a discount coupon that will permit them to obtain a 10% to 30% discount at any of the retail outlets listed therein.
