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Shopping Festival


Wild Wadi and Jumeirah Beach HotelDubai was always well positioned to host and propagate festivals. Right from the turn of the 20th century Dubai had become sufficiently wealthy to attract immigrants from the rest of South East Asia. Extra facilities such as free trade had made Dubai a natural home to merchants from Lingah, which was a part of the Persian Coast. Similarly, a flourishing and dominant Indian population had become a major player in the Souk’s and Shopping Alley’s of Dubai which only added to its charm. Dubai was all set to take centre stage.

With time, a sense of hospitality grew in Dubai which was well complimented with a warm breeze of welcome and cool breeze of broadmindedness. These feelings grew stronger and thereby attracted more tourists than ever before.

At last, Dubai was ready to be Exhibit A.

February 15, 1996, the Tourism Industry of the UAE gave birth to a most impressive mega event which made headlines around the world. This event was the first Dubai Shopping Festival. The phrase ‘Shopping Paradise’ aquired a new meaning on this day.

We will try and define the Dubai Shopping Festival for you. Nations from around the world have tried to have a shopping event to entice foreigners, excite tourists and promote sales in their own regions. However, none could match the success of the Dubai Shopping Festival. Close to 4,000 retailers and shops participate in this month long event. Numerous hotels, restaurants and lodging services are a part of this event too. Dubai provides a brilliant shopping experience throughout the year. But during this month it’s always something a little more special. The Dubai and the Shopping Festival participants go wild to roll out the red carpet with massive discounts, daily prizes, the best in textiles, gold, handicrafts, branded goods, electronics, cars, perfumes, haute couture, handmade oriental and Persian carpets.

That’s definitely not all as most of the flights in and out of Dubai during this period carry enormous discounts and there are even discounts on excessive baggage allowances! The people in charge of the event had even gone to the extent of providing tourists with free Medical Attention Cards during this period. These cards can be used for free treatment and medication.

There is much more to add to the Dubai Shopping Festival experience. What good is a Festival in a desert when you can’t experience the thrill of being in a desert. The Dubai answer is a Mystical Desert Safari. There are numerous tour operators who give you the freedom to choose the time and the special areas of the safari you’d like to visit depending on your taste.

In addition to shopping and a desert safari the Festival also offers various sources of entertainment with most being hosted at public parks within Dubai. Some of the more popular events include the fireworks that fill the sky each night, the laser shows, international fashion shows and more. You will also find local entertainers and musicians performing at many of these venues.

Other activities during the month could include the likes of Sand-Surfing on the sand dunes, sky-diving from a height of about 10,000 ft, motor-cross biking. Desert trekking tours are loads of fun as well. Ever contemplated Sand-Surfing in the dunes, then driving out of the desert to Parasail over the coast and the beautiful beach? Or maybe you could just go sky-diving, get out of your parachute and into some scuba diving gear and encounter some dolphins or tropical fish, not to mention the coral reefs are some of the best under water sights in the world.

The Dubai Shopping Festival attracted more than 3.3 million people last year. It generated revenue in excess of 1.12 Billion USD.

So what are you waiting for, go ahead and get ready to visit the Dubai Shopping Festival this year.


Times of Oman

Central Bank takes steps to migrate to EMV chip cards
Times of Oman
... waving their mobile phones at a payment terminal, Sachin Bountra, business development director of Middle East Visa, said at the recent media round table, organised for select journalists by Visa to coincide with the annual Dubai Shopping Festival.

and more »

Posted on 6 February 2012 | 7:46 pm


Al-Bawaba

Dubai: Shopping Festival ends with a bang
Al-Bawaba
As the 17th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival draws to a close, millions of residents and visitors from around the world will take home memorable magical moments of a 32-day retail bonanza that offered the best in shopping and entertainment.
Dubai outlets to keep major discounts on TVs and mobilesEmirates 24/7
Magical moments comes to an endKhaleej Times
Foreign journalists covering DSF 2012 tour Radisson Royal HotelAME Info
gulfnews.com -ArabianBusiness.com
all 22 news articles »

Posted on 6 February 2012 | 2:23 am


AME Info

Carpet Oasis a star attraction of Dubai Shopping Festival 2012
AME Info
Carpet Oasis, the long-running carpet exhibition of Dubai Shopping Festival, has been drawing huge crowds with its range of exhibits featuring thousands of pieces of rare and hand-made carpets from countries that are known for their carpet weaving ...

and more »

Posted on 5 February 2012 | 4:42 pm


Mumbai shoppers keep customs on toes
Daily News & Analysis
By Preety Acharya | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA The on-going Dubai shopping festival has been keeping customs officials on their toes for the last 25 days. They have caught at least eight to 10 passengers daily for not declaring gold and television ...

Posted on 2 February 2012 | 6:02 pm


AME Info

Key economic sectors of Dubai record significant growth in first two weeks of ...
AME Info
The first two weeks of the 17th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival has generated significant growth, leading to sharp increases in traffic and footfall at over 70 participating malls and more than 6000 retail outlets, as well as boosting business in ...
Everything You DesireCornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

all 2 news articles »

Posted on 31 January 2012 | 4:47 pm


gulfnews.com

Dubai Shopping Festival: A big bag full of records
gulfnews.com
Dubai Shopping Festival is a leader in setting world records, having established more than 50 in its 16-year history. These records have raised the profile of the DSF and Dubai among the international community. Following is a list of the world records ...
Exchange houses in Dubai registers surge in business this year's Dubai ...AME Info
Growing up with the festivalKhaleej Times
Foreign portrayals of Emirati art draw crowds at Dubai exhibitionGulf Today
Zawya (registration)
all 15 news articles »

Posted on 31 January 2012 | 10:41 am


Business Intelligence Middle East

Shop till you drop in Dubai, Middle East's shopping capital
Arab News
Now that traditional souks have made way for glitzy malls, business savvy Dubai is turning into a shopping epicenter, attracting shoppers from all over the world. This year's ultimate shopping experience, Dubai Shopping Festival, lasts until Feb. 5.
Flash mob sets Dubai Fashion rollingKhaleej Times
DSF 2012: What's in store for this weekendBusiness Intelligence Middle East (press release)
DSF sees rise in Visa card spendinggulfnews.com

all 8 news articles »

Posted on 23 January 2012 | 3:04 pm


The National

Visa surge for festival shoppers in Dubai
The National
People shopping in Al Ghurair Mall during the Dubai Shopping Festival. Charles Crowell for The National Bargain hunters or luxury lovers Get the scoop on what's happening in the retail world. Retail Shoppers are spending much more on Visa cards at the ...
'Tuk Tuks' make debut at Festival PromenadeKhaleej Times
KidZania celebrates 2nd anniversary with month-long Colours of the World ...Jordan Directions
Dubai: Retail industry gets boost from surge in tourismAl-Bawaba

all 8 news articles »

Posted on 23 January 2012 | 12:04 pm


Hindu Business Line

Dubai Shopping Festival to draw more Indian visitors
Hindu Business Line
The glitz and glitter of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) has drawn more Indians this year to the annual shopping event. “The Dubai Shopping Festival has always been well received by Indians. We usually witness approximately 80 per cent load factor on ...
Students enhance festivitiesKhaleej Times

all 7 news articles »

Posted on 20 January 2012 | 8:56 am


gulfnews.com

Shoppers may be more cautious at Dubai festival
Reuters
By Martina Fuchs | DUBAI (Reuters) - The rich economies of the Gulf are growing strongly but amid a mammoth array of discounts, raffles and promotions at this year's Dubai Shopping Festival, there are signs that consumers are becoming more ...
Dubai hotels introduce packages to offset increase in tariffsgulfnews.com
Get your shop on at the Dubai Shopping FestivalMaltaToday
Top 6 Dubai Shopping Festival hotel packagesHotelier Middle East
TravelBite.co.uk -Khaleej Times
all 24 news articles »

Posted on 18 January 2012 | 7:02 am