Dubai: How Emirates Literature Festival is spreading love for reading

Dubai: How Emirates Literature Festival is spreading love for reading

Talks around books in the country is double global average, festival director says.

Young visitors at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai. KT Photo/Shihab

Published: Thu 3 Feb 2022, 7:15 PM

Conversations around books in the UAE grew by 7 per cent compared to 3 per cent in the online space worldwide, revealed the director of the Emirates Literature Festival in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times.

“The percentage in the UAE is more than double the global average, and that is remarkable and an optimistic sign,” said Ahlam Bolooki on a busy Day 1 of the festival, while speaking about a study commissioned by the foundation last year called Book Talks - or a conversation around books.

The director of the Emirates Festival of Literature, which opened at its new home at Habtoor City Hotels on Thursday, says: “The festival is playing a pivotal role in inculcating a love for the written and spoken word in the UAE.

“The prime objective is spreading a love for words and reading, so that people can be lovers of reading for life. Once you find a love for reading, it will stay with you forever. The best thing once can do in life is to keep