HONG KONG, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced on Monday that it will stage the 2006 Hong Kong Shopping Festival between 24 June and 31 August 2006.

According to a press release from the HKTB, a record of more than 7,500 merchant outlets have already confirmed their participation, making this year's festival the largest ever.

Six facets to showcase the diverse Hong Kong shopping experience, organized by the HKTB for the fifth consecutive year, the mega summer shopping promotion this year will carry the theme "Discover the Diverse Shopping Experience".

Surveys by the HKTB showed that visitors, especially those from long-haul markets, are interested in open-air markets and Chinese authentic specialties, besides shopping in malls and designer boutiques.

At the same time, many short-haul visitors make special trips to Hong Kong for its trendy merchandise.

The HKTB will once again organize the ever-popular Grand Lucky Draw, which will feature an unprecedented number of prizes.

Altogether, 113 prizes worth 2.7 million HK dollars (about 346,000 U.S. dollars) will be available for the lucky winners, with the Grand Prize being an Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars watch valued at 590,000 HK dollars (75,641 U.S. dollars).

At the end of August, the winners will travel to Hong Kong for the final round of the contest. As well as discovering Hong Kong's diverse shopping experience, they will enjoy the new and hidden attractions in the city. Enditem