It was first organized by the The Dubai Government in 1996, taking place during the first quarter of the year ever since. The idea for Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) was first created by Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This annual event offers huge discounts at shops, prize drawings. Besides, the festival program includes daily performances, so both tourists, residents and locals are having lots of fun during this time.
As we have mentioned, the Festival was organized by the The Dubai Government. It was done with the aim of attracting tourists and promoting trade in both in Dubai, UAE as a whole, and the Gulf itself. Because such a festival appeared, many people around the globe began coming to Dubai to see it with their own eyes. Understandably, shopping is one of the main purposes of such visits. Eventually, trade and commerce in Dubai was experiencing a major growth in the last couple of decades, in many ways thanks to the Dubai Shopping Festival. Indeed, it contributed greatly in forming the modern image of Dubai in the rest of the world.
Since the Dubai Shopping Festival tradition began, it was always associated with hospitality, big sales, impressive performances, and, of course, lots of fun. The official data states that during the recent years, approximately three million people come to Dubai to enjoy it.
A dream of a shopaholic, a gourmet paradise, an ideal destination for a family vacation, a kingdom of childhood fantasies – all these epithets apply to the Dubai Shopping Festival. Concerts of pop stars, musical and theatrical performances, street shows, sports events, and fashion shows – the DSF will certainly satisfy even the most demanding tastes.
Each year, the festival surprises its visitors with something unique. Even those who come to enjoy it each year will not be bored. If you are thinking about what is the best time to come to Dubai, we can say for sure that the best decision is to choose the winter months when this amazing festival is held.
As we mentioned previously, Dubai Shopping Festival was introduced with the aim of attracting people to the country. People come to Dubai, get impressed by amazing shows, sales, and prizes. This has a positive effect on the trade industry. More than 1.5 million people visited the very first festival, which is already impressive, isn’t it? Moreover, they spent more than 500 million dollars there!
Understandably, nowadays these statistics are much more impressive. Back in 2009, visitors spent about two billion dollars buying gold, electronics, etc. on the festival. The event is an incomparable contributor to the economy of Dubai. It stimulates both the retail market and tourism. Hundreds of brands and thousands of stores participate in the festival. Since 2000, major sponsors began getting interested in the festival. As a result, they earned much more than they invested.
Since 2008, the event is headed by Laila Suhail (the CEO of DEPE). She is convinced that such a success of the festival is a result of the passion and hard work of the people involved in its creation. There are several teams working on a festival, that include highly qualified professionals in different fields. “Dedication, work, careful planning are keys to success”, – Laila Suhail says.
One may wonder about the roots of this event. The idea itself was inspired by the Great Singapore Sale. The difference is that this sale lasts just a week, and there is no entertainment, just shopping.
Due to the DSF, a shopping village appeared, which attracts tourists for the whole year. Several shopping malls became well-known around the globe because of the festival. The number of people that come to Dubai rises every year, as well as the amount of money they leave there. Aiming at fulfilling their desires, people are ready to spend enormous sums of money.
The Dubai Shopping Festival becomes more impressive every year; employees of the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing remember the year 1996 when there was only one shopping mall in Dubai. Today, there is a long list of them.
Dubai retailers say that 25% of their annual income they get during the festival. In addition, the festival devoted to shopping is an ideal platform for new brands and for promoting local designers.
There is also an impressive number of world records that were set during festivals in different years. The records include the longest gold chain, the longest sofa, the biggest shopping bag, chair, mattress. that were displayed on festivals. The largest calendar and shopping cart are also included in the list of records.
In 2020, the entire humanity faced the COVID-19. Our lifestyles have changed, but no need to refuse all pleasures in our lives. The show must go on, so the DSF continues attracting visitors from around the globe!
