DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL (DSF) to be more colourful

Staff Reporter / 29 December 2012

DUBAI - Colourful fireworks across the Creek will light the Dubai skies once again on Thursday, as the city ushers in the 18th edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).

The huge success following this year’s event has many hypothesising a rise in visitor numbers in 2013, with festival-goers expected to surpass the 4.36 million mark.

Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO of the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), said a recent market research study showed a nine per cent increase in the visitor traffic during the DSF from 2011 to 2012, with this rise bringing a staggering US$1 billion weekly to Dubai’s economy.
DSF visitors rose across the board, with Dubai residents visiting the festival up from 1.32 million to 1.54 million; visitors from other emirates up from 1.77 million to 1.93 million; and international visitors increasing from 885,000 to 895,000.

These encouraging facts and figures supported Dubai recently being crowned ‘World Festival and Event City 2012’.  The study, carried out by YouGov, comes ahead of the DSF 2013, which starts on January 3, and reveals interesting data on the festival including participation and awareness levels.
Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline Group and Chairman of Dubai World, said the unique cooperation between Dubai’s private and public sectors is its secret recipe for success.

“Dubai keeps striding with confidence taking solid steps on its path to being at the forefront of the global leading destinations,” he said, adding that His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai had explained Dubai’s philosophy and strategy in few words, though simple, saying “The Future Doesn’t Wait for the Hesitant”, and hence Dubai will keep going on with giant steps towards the future.
Shaikh Ahmed praised the private sector contribution, and its commitment to support government initiatives, such as the Dubai Shopping Festival: “You can never fail if you have the private and public sectors working together in harmony, this is Dubai’s recipe for success.”
Sami Al Qamzi, Director-General of Dubai Economic Department, said the DSF supports retail industry, showcases events and expertise and contributes significantly to Dubai’s hospitality and aviation sectors, as well as a host of other businesses and industries in the city: “Through this research, we can gauge accurately the overall impact of the festival on our economy, and further build and strengthen our regional leadership and cement our status as one of the world’s leading shopping and entertainment destinations.”
Suhail said that the announced figures show that despite the challenges Depe has faced in terms of the global economy and regional political unrest, the festival and Dubai continue to provide an oasis of stability and security where visitors receive a welcome experience.
YouGov surveyed 1,293 international visitors and 1,202 UAE residents throughout the 2012 festival period, with the research designed to pinpoint key findings on spending habits, participant engagement, visitor profile, and retailer perceptions.
Significant increases were noted in GCC, North African and other Arab nationalities visiting the Emirate during the DSF period, up 30 per cent and 80 per cent respectively on 2011 festival data. More than one third of residents from other Emirates visited Dubai specifically for DSF (37 per cent) with just under half (43 per cent) also opting to spend the night in Dubai.

Source: Khaleej Times (Dubai)