Where everyone’s a winner
As DSF draws to a close, Gulf News analyses just how it turns out to be a blockbuster every time. Faisal Masudi and Janice Ponce De Leon, Staff Reporters, and Talib Jariwala, Deputy Design Editor, explain how
Gulf News chronicles the Dubai Shopping Festival success story
48% of DSF 2012 visitors made the trip to Dubai after hearing about the festival from friends and family
$ 1b ( Dh3.67 billion) revenue generated each week during DSF 2012 2005 DSF: Global Village moved to Dubailand
Dh8.9b spent on shopping alone in DSF 2012, with 4.6 million visitors taking part in the festivities 1997 DSF: Global Village debuts along Dubai Creek on Baniyas Street The first DSF in 1996 attracted more than 1.6 million visitors and generated revenues of more than Dh2 billion
Everyone’s a winner with the Dubai Shopping Festival ( DSF). Shoppers win, they get prizes and bargains. Shops win, they add to their customers and profits. Families win thanks to the entertainment and dining options on offer. Tourists win, the doors open to more resorts and heritage areas. And workers win, too, they can look forward to better pay and job opportunities.
The annual month- long celebration of ‘ Dubai at its Best’ has perhaps become the city’s best- known attraction, drawing tens of millions of people who look forward to the enriching experience as proclaimed by the theme ‘ One World – One Family – One Festival.’
Gulf News highlighted how DSF transformed lives for the better. Here we attempt to sum up the DSF’s success story. DSF organisers Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment say the ‘ secret’ behind the Retailers vouch 25% of their yearly sales happen during the DSF extravaganza is the synergy between the public and private sectors.
“Organising any edition of the DSF is a huge challenge and the festivals could not have been successfully staged without the support of our strategic partners and key sponsors. It is because of this long- standing partnership between the government and private sectors that DSF is today being seen around the world as an international festival brand par excellence. In fact, this support from the private sector has led to Dubai being crowned as the ‘ World Festival and Event City 2012’ by the International Festivals and Events Association, the world’s leading trade association for events,” said Depe’s media centre.
“Today, the Dubai Shopping Festival has grown into one of the world’s spectacular retail success stories and continues to make waves as the biggest and best shopping- plus- entertainment extravaganza in the region. No doubt DSF has stimulated economic activity in Dubai and continues to help maintain the city’s global status.”