Muscat: Oman is an important stop in the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) roadshow which covers the GCC, Egypt and India, according to Ebrahim Saleh, Festival Coordinator-General and Deputy CEO of Dubai Events.
Showcasing the DSF to tour operators and media yesterday at the Shangri-La's Barr Al Jizza, Ebrahim said that Oman was one of the largest tourism markets for Dubai.
"Oman [is] only second to Saudi Arabia as far as [the] number of visitors to DSF is concerned," he said, adding that they didn't keep statistics of the number of people coming into Dubai from Oman during the DSF.
Sadiq Shukoor, Sales Manager of Emirates airline, outlined the various offers, including visa facilities offered to those looking to visit Dubai during the DSF. Ebrahim agreed that the visa procedures have become slightly tougher unlike in the past.
"We will carry feedback and pass it on to the rele-vant authorities to make visa procedures smooth," he said. Sadiq said that Emirates' website had a visa application option.
"That would also give [a] good idea of who are, among expatriates, eligible for getting visas to visit Dubai during DSF," he said.
Ebrahim said that in the past 15 years the DSF has generated Dh89 billion and gave away Dh1.35 million in prizes.
