• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

Beyond landmarks Dubai lures more tourists with shopping

African Pavilion

…as DSF records another milestone  

 

Dubai; the fourth most visited city in the world, recorded another first with the 2017 annual Dubai Shopping Festival, which lasted for 34 days; the longest edition in the festival’s 22-year history.
Besides its remarkable duration, the festival witnessed a fantastic opening at Dubai Festival City, which featured the first fire, light and water show of its kind to a cheering public, shoppers and tourists alike.
For the 34 days (December 26, 2016 until January 28, 2017), the festival lived up to its 22nd edition theme: ‘Shop. Win. Celebrate’, as it offered many shoppers from UAE and across the globe discounts, prizes and entertainment.
From fashion, beauty, perfumes, gold and jewellery, shoppers had fun picking their choice items at great discounts, while retailers used the festival platform to offer as much as 75 percent discounts to shoppers amid promotions, activations, and fun activities targeted at boosting their sales.
The beauty of the festival was that it offered one shopping festival across numerous markets, shopping outlets and choice places within Dubai metropolis. One of the fantastic places that shoppers graced in their thousands was the Market Outside The Box (Market OTB) at Burj Park, near Dubai Malls. Market OTB was a 10-day event that brought together local, regional and international designers and entrepreneurs under one platform, and further promoted their brands to the shoppers. Visitors had great deals from the brands amid music greats that performance live shows on the Market OTB live stage.
As well, the malls were not left out in the shopping frenzy.  Participating malls such as of Malls of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira, City Centre Me’aisem City Centre Al Barsha and City Centre Al Shindagha, were never dried of shoppers who took advantage of 12 hours January 1 Shopping Experience that came with incredible discounts and free shopping vouchers.
Also, shoppers who are lovers of beauty and style thronged the Beauty District at the Fashion Catwalk area of The Dubai Mall to buy their beauty essentials from retailers who beyond selling also used the festival platform to offer promotions and launched their products. Lovers of jewelries took advantage of the promotion by Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group to stock their trinket boxes, while Paris Gallery at Dubai Mall particularly hosted some shoppers who had fun buying more with additional free shopping voucher of Dh500.
However, one place that was a must-visit for many shoppers was the Global Village.  With 30 pavilions representing cultures of over 75 countries, the Global Village, was a one-stop-shop for every shopper during the 2017 Dubai Shopping Festival because all the items from across the world were showcased.
It was fun buying craft as the African pavilion, moving to India to get your spice, visiting France for wine, moving over to China for wears and coming back to The Americas or Egypt to buy tours.
It was one peaceful world in the Global Village buying from everyone not minding the region, race, or religion. There was no divide.
However, credit goes to the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), and the organisers of the shopping festival.
At the closing of the festival on January 28, 2017, DFRE was glad that it provided the perfect platform, that the retail sector was able to boost sales by offering numerous promotions and activations, while shoppers got the best bargains, including discounts of up to 75 percent, on an array of items including clothes, fashion, electronics, watches, perfumes, furniture, house appliances, among others.
Of course, besides hosting the longest edition of the festival since its 22 years history, DFRE prides itself for bringing the world under one umbrella in Dubai to shop, win and celebrate, while preparations are already on for a superlative festival in 2018.