Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF), 2018 witnessed a significant influx of visitors on Friday, the first weekend of the month-long trade fair at Sher-e Bangla Nagar in the capital.

As city dwellers took the opportunity of the holiday to visit the fair with friends and family, the 23rd DITF saw a handsome amount of rush of the visitors, reports the UNB.

Like every year, stalls of food items, kitchen utensils, electronic appliances, ladies clothes and cosmetics experienced the largest portion of crowd, while children were found enjoying rides in the children park section.

Deepika Rani from Gabtoli said she came to the fair to buy products especially for her kids. ‘Usually new products are exhibited in the trade fair every year with special offers, that’s why I came with my family to do some shopping,’ she added.

Mustafizur Rahman, salesman of a clothing stall, told UNB that crowd so far on this weekend is good enough though at the beginning of the day the rush was not noticeable.

Though the rush is good, but the number of buyers so far not satisfactory, claimed another salesman.

People have not yet started shopping at the fair yet, he added.

Russel Zaman, a private job holder said, generally the crowd remains less in the first weekend, that’s why he came to visit the fair along with his two kids.

However, the visitors expressed their satisfaction over the management of the fair.

Mahmudur Rashid Emon, a business person said, this year the stalls got completed at the very first week which usually doesn’t happen every year. Though the first four days could not attract much visitors, the weekend was a boost for the fair as both local and foreign stalls seemed to attract the visitors, according to the visitors and exhibitors.

According to the sources at Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the 23rd edition of the fair has been arranged on 12.50 lakh square feet area where around 589 pavilions, mini pavilions and stalls, including Bangabandhu Pavilion has been set up.

Apart from the business stalls, amusement park for children, mother and child centre, separate booths and security service rooms for male and female, fire service station, blood donation centre, complaint centre of the Consumer Rights Protection, power grid sub-station, generation station and space for car parking has been arranged inside the fair compound.