A five day Jewellery Arabia exhibition is to start from November 7, 2006.
Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf to bring this exhibition and after that everyone has followed it. It is an international event and is a way of bringing foreign customers into Bahrain and the country is reaping with its benefit.
However, there is a proposed ban on direct sales at Jewellery Arabia exhibition evoking a mixed reaction among shop owners.
Some jewellers feel that the annual event was hindering trade and forcing them to downscale operations, while others felt it helped promote Bahrain's image abroad and brought in wealthy visitors.
Some are of the opinion that a few changes could be made to appease local traders, who chose not to or were unable to exhibit their products.
Traders display items and offer discounts of 60 to 70 percent, while others feel there should be regulations limiting the size of discounts to 40 percent and also provisions about testing and stamping of items sold.
Customers have to wait for four-five months just to buy from the exhibition, so all the retail shops are affected as mostly all exhibitors who have arrived here globally are not allowed to sell their items.
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