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Santhosh Chandran
Doha
ASIAN Town has emerged as one of the most crowded shopping and leisure hubs in Qatar. With all the shops and cinema theatres being open for a year now, the visitors to the Asian Town also known as the 'Labour City', have seen a three-fold increase, according to sources at Ibin Ajayan Projects which manages the area.
The sources added that on weekends, the Asian Town receives around 100,000 visitors. Besides, the initiatives undertaken by the property developers such as holding monthly medical camps, traditional Asian bazaar and cultural festival on alternative weeks has helped the 'Labour City' to become one of the largest shopping and entertainment destinations in the country.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, an official of Asian Town said:"These new initiatives by the Ibin Ajayan Projects have attracted a large number of people to the Asian Town, especially the Plaza Mall, on the weekends."
The Plaza Mall is a cluster of 234 shops comprising textiles, electronics, jewellery and hypermarkets as well as 22 eateries. A nearby large hypermarket is also a major attraction for visitors.
"Besides, the cultural festival features a wide range of programmes from Asian countries with free entry for workers. The multiple programmes provide an opportunity for communities to learn about one another. We plan to add dance and comedy shows and other artistic performances to the weekend festival,"the official added.
Furthermore, screening of different Indian language films in Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam at four of its cinema halls are a key attraction for South Asian expatriate families.
A cafeteria manager at the cinema hall said that as many as 15,000 to 18,000 people visit during weekends just to watch movies. The cinema buffs largely hail from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
An employee at the theatre complex said:"About 9,000 people came to watch the movies recently. Many people, including some families, could not get tickets as the turnout was more than expected."
Comprising additional facilities such as an amphitheatre and a cricket stadium, the Asian Town promises to be an activity hub for over 25,000 workers staying in more than 5,000 housing units near the complex.
