Dubai: Fireworks on Al Seef Street tonight will signal the beginning of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) as it returns for the 15th year to run until February 28.
The festival will see 32 days of celebrations, events, promotions and raffle draws, with expectations of repeating the success of 2009.
"We are trying to maintain the level of visitors to make sure the retail industry sustains," Laila Suhail, chief executive of event organiser Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) told Gulf News on the sidelines of a press conference held yesterday to announce details of the festival.
"Based on our marketing strategy for this year, with focus on GCC and Asian markets, we're looking forward to seeing more visitors from there," she said.
With combined promotional activity from airlines, hotels and visa authorities, a slight growth in visitors is expected.
"We are anticipating ... having [a] 2-2.5 per cent increase, keeping in mind the iconic achievements of Dubai, such as Burj Khalifa," Laila said. "We also have some new added value in Dubai as a destination."
Increase in visitors
Last year, visitor numbers increased 4.6 per cent to 3.35 million. They spent approximately Dh9.8 billion, a 2 per cent dip from the year before, despite a significant global reduction in spending.
A new attraction this year will be "Shopper's Day", a one-day-only incentive for early bargain hunters who can win spot cash prizes through the Scratch and Win Promotion from Dh500 to Dh2,000 while shopping for a minimum of Dh500 during the opening day. "We will be giving away a total of Dh500,000 to hundreds of lucky shoppers across participating malls, where retailers are offering huge discounts of up to 75 per cent," said Ebrahim Saleh, coordinator general at Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment.
The government funding for DSF's 15th edition as well as sponsorship from the private sector will combine to a total of Dh65 million this year.
Laila said this year's budget strategy has been completely changed so that it is "more smartly spent".
"We are making sure that the budget allocated from the government or the sponsorship for DSF also helps to maintain the new organisational mandate. The budget is more organised," she said.
Last year, retailers tightened their spending budget and, as a result, sponsorship was affected.
Similar amount
Despite the cutbacks, Suhail said this year would see a similar budget. "This year, we have 20 sponsors, with almost the same support we used to get from the private sector. All the budget that we have, has been organised to be spent on the DSF," she said.
While the visitors numbers are high and budgets are maintained, special promotions, discounts and rewards are expected to encourage visitors to lighten their wallets.
Lexus Mega Raffle draws during the 32-days will see 32 Lexus LS 460 cars, four Lexus LX 570 SUVs, and cash of over Dh3 million given away to winners. Additionally, there will be 32 Nissan SUVs and 12 Nissan sedans to be won in the Nissan Grand Raffle.
Some 600 retailers' outlets will have promotions with discounts of over 75 per cent. The festival will see 150 local and international events this year. Laila said that "the accumulated achievements and successes that DSF has accomplished since its inception in 1996 have transformed it into a unique social and economic phenomenon and an example for others to follow."
She added: "The reasons behind what has been achieved are numerous, but one reason that tops the list is the robust collaboration between the public and the private sector to ensure the success of DSF and record another milestone."
