Extended mall hours, new festivals part of Kuwait’s summer tourism plan

KUWAIT: Kuwait is ramping up efforts to enhance its tourism and entertainment offerings this summer through new private sector partnerships and extended shopping mall hours, officials said Sunday.

During a meeting of the Permanent Committee for National Celebrations at Seif Palace, Yousef Al-Azmi, Deputy Director-General for the Development Sector at Kuwait Municipality, presented a series of proposals aimed at invigorating the tourism scene in the coming months. Plans include hosting tourism and entertainment weeks at The Avenues mall, Assima Mall, and the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Centre, in collaboration with leading telecom companies such as stc, Zain and Tamdeen Group, the owner of 360 Mall.

The meeting, chaired by Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, also discussed extending shopping mall operating hours during the summer holiday period as part of efforts to attract more visitors and stimulate the local economy.

Minister of Information and Culture Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi.

Minister Al-Mutairi praised recent strides in Kuwait’s tourism sector, highlighting the government’s commitment to fostering tourism growth, which has been well received by citizens and visitors alike.

The Follow-up and Evaluation Team at the Public Authority for Youth presented a report on performance indicators for various events, emphasizing the importance of using the “Hayakom” platform to monitor and evaluate activities. Hayakom, which served as the official ticketing platform for the recent Khaleeji-Zain GCC football tournament, remains the central platform for managing national sports, cultural, and entertainment events in Kuwait.

To further stimulate summer tourism, officials discussed encouraging hotels and shopping malls to offer promotional deals and new initiatives, all to be registered and assessed via the Hayakom platform.

The meeting also featured updates on cultural activities planned as part of Kuwait’s designation as the Capital of Arab Culture for 2025. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters presented a visual briefing on licensed theatrical performances to be held over the next few months. Preparations are also underway for a summer cultural festival. The council also announced the upcoming launch of the 8th Arab Children’s Theater Festival — the first since it was last held in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. — Agencies