Vadodara International Art and Culture Festival Authority, which is a Gujarat government special purpose vehicle headed by state tourism minister Saurabh Patel plans to organise a 40-day long Vadodara Shopping Festival (VSF) December 15 2014 to January 25, 2015.
"The primary aim behind VSF is to promote brand Vadodara as a shopping hotspot and joining the ranks of elite shopping destinations like Singapore and Dubai as well as Indian cities like Jaipur, Pune and Bangalore, with its own extravanganza," Patel said.
He said that the objective is to encourage shopping tourism and provide a unique opportunity to Non Resident Indian (NRI) tourists and locals to be part of a gala shopping event.
Patel said the VSF would not be about bargain retail shopping but a total package of fun with entertainment and events for the family.
To promote tourism, a bi-annual Vadodara International Art and Culture Festival (VADFEST) would be held, from January 23 next year, Patel said.
Noted artistes from across the country would participate in the event.
Apart from celebrating art, dance, drama, culture, food and films, there would also be a special children's theatre festival, he said.
Actress Hema Malini, playback singer Asha Bhosale, as well as musicians like Hariprasad Chaurasia and A R Rehman would be a part of the festival, he said.
