# Dubai Shopping Festival



## Guest (Jan 13, 2005)

Flashing the cash at the Dubai Shopping Festival

By Ramsay Short 
Daily Star staff
Thursday, January 13, 2005


DUBAI: January in the United Arab Emirates means only one thing: the Dubai Shopping Festival or DSF. Which in fact translates into another thing - money, and lots of it.

Over the next month, starting today this flourishing city-state made up of 183 nationalities will celebrate consumerism in all its glory and throw in some entertainment too. In Dubai if you want something you can get it. You want the latest fashion labels from Italy - you can get it. You want the latest digital camera or MP3 player - you can get it. You want gold - you can get it. You want fast cars and rich living - you can get it. Dubai, during the shopping festival, is really something to be behold. 

The city is doled up in ribbons and bright colors, like a gaudy bride, and everywhere you look people are enticing you to spend your cash. Launched in 1996 as a retail event aiming at generating revenue for the city that was not from oil, as well as promoting it as trade hub and tourist destination, the DSF now in its tenth year has succeeded in doing that and more. Though primarily about materialism - shopping is really about that very European pursuit of self-pleasure and there are numerous lotteries for Lexus luxury cars and bars of gold - this year the DSF has decided to push much more its programs of entertainment (from its jazz festival to its animation film festival) as well as its theme of 'One World, One Family, One Festival,' with its global village featuring tents celebrating the culture of over 40 nations. According to statistics provided by the DSF organizing committee, in 1996 money spent during the festival totaled 2.15 billion Dirhams ($585.4 million) with 1.6 million visitors to the city. In 1997 the revenue amounted to 2.79 billion Dirhams. In 2002 the total number of shoppers or visitors reached 2.68 million people. 


Last year 3.1 million people visited Dubai for the shopping festival spending the huge amount of $1.58 billion. This year all indicators are that this huge success will continue.

What is clear is that Dubai and its shopping festival is doing something right. People from around the globe want to come here. For better or for worse, they want to shop. And on top of that and perhaps more importantly investors and international companies want to come here too. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Group and Chairman of the DSF Supreme Committee told me. "The DSF is a powerful device in implementing the future vision of the emirate? going hand in hand with Dubai's strategic target of transferring the emirate into an international tourism destination which is set to attract 15 million tourists by the year 2010." For a city born from the desert barely more than 30 years ago on the profits of oil, that would be no small feat. The month-long DSF started yesterday and runs until Feb. 12.



http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=11796


----------



## Guest (Jan 13, 2005)

so are u guys going for the dubai shopping festival this year?


----------



## Guest (Jan 13, 2005)

who ever came up with this idea of shopping festival of the whole city, must be a genius, who was it anyway? sheikh rashid?


----------



## SkylineTurbo (Dec 22, 2004)

I think it was Sheikh Rashid, I'm not 100% sure though.


----------



## smussuw (Feb 1, 2004)

blackadder said:


> I think it was Sheikh Rashid, I'm not 100% sure though.


Sheikh Rashid wasnt even alive. Whoever thought of it, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid made it happen.


----------



## DUBAI (Aug 24, 2004)

is it just me, but i havent really noticed any more people for the shopping festival. maybe dubai is getting bigger so its less of a difference. but they dont market it in the uk anymore, and it seems to be less of a big deal than they used to be. the first 3 or 4 were really good. but i just think its getting old and deteriorating. summer surprises seems to be more important, which it never used to be. and after doing last miniute shopping yesterday, the deals were not that good, in fact some shops which arent officialy in the shopping festival have put there prices up! ii just feel it's becoming lame and really needs to be reworked or replaced.


----------



## juiced (Aug 18, 2004)

I wasn't even aware the DSF had started until I read it on these forums!! It's a bit boring I think


----------



## SkylineTurbo (Dec 22, 2004)

I'm not 100% sure.


----------



## DUBAI (Aug 24, 2004)

apparently it started on wednesday. no fireworks like the old days though :down:


----------



## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

I saw some fireworks after eight, comming from the Creek. However now people comes for shopping in every season so there is not much special for DSF. 

Jumbo always use to report sales for DSF but actually they werent. The same old prices, sometimes even higher.

(I mentioned Jumbo, becouse I leave near their showroom and I'm interested in electronics products becouse i work with them)


----------



## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

firework is going on right now for the second time
are they doing it every day or what?


----------



## burjdubai (Oct 5, 2004)

Can someone take pictures of the different sites where DSF is running and post them. I miss DSF dearly


----------



## Dubai-Lover (Jul 4, 2004)

there was just another firework on the creek next to carrefour and heritage village


----------



## elfreako (Mar 7, 2004)

Are goods actually cheaper during the DSF? Or do the shopkeepers jack up the prices to rip the gullible tourists off? What's the point of a Shopping Festival if you don't discount your prices???


----------



## DUBAI (Aug 24, 2004)

elfreako said:


> Are goods actually cheaper during the DSF? Or do the shopkeepers jack up the prices to rip the gullible tourists off? What's the point of a Shopping Festival if you don't discount your prices???


They get to put up nice flags and banners.


----------



## fahed (Nov 10, 2004)

"Are goods actually cheaper during the DSF?"

Yes they are. The idea is to pospond the discounts to DSF time and even if the shop doesn't make discounts he has to prepare new stuff and sell some of his stuff in a lower price to be accredited by the festival. Another idea to attract buyers, shops stop showing their new stuff until the festival kicks off. I knew an AMD and ASUS dealer that the latest ASUS motherboards and ATI graphic cards in stores for the festival. They do the same in GITEX for electronic products.

Ohhhh just a minute, I ate a hot pepper in my sandwitch ..........***BUR







NING***...........

If you compare the prices in the festival they are cheaper than after it. Not only for stuff you could buy, but even hotels make discounts to encourage people to come.


----------



## AltinD (Jul 15, 2004)

^ Not anymore.


----------



## DubaiDave (Jun 16, 2004)

I went to the global village on Sat night and i was heaving. There were fireworks there. I think the town is less busy than usual because the Global village is at Dubailand now, quite out of town. I will try and get some pisc of it up in the next few days.


----------



## ahmedr (Feb 1, 2004)

Looking forward to see pics of the new Global Village.


----------



## SkylineTurbo (Dec 22, 2004)

Any pics of the Mediterranian Villiage?


----------

