Growing trade with innovation

Fifteen years ago, when the Dubai government decided to launch an event, Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), at the height of summer, there was some scepticism. The weather was a challenge, along with possible competition from events hubs and tourist destinations across the region.

Starting with 600,000 in its inaugural year in 1998, the last year capped four million visitors with a spend of Dh8.8 billion. This year DSS aims to improve the tally by adding a couple of zeroes to it.

Laila Mohammad Suhail, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), says, “Dubai Summer Surprises has generated considerable growth across the emirate’s tourism sector since its inception. The number of visitors has multiplied by six, with total spend increasing tenfold over the past 14 years — both clear indications that this festival has forever altered the face of summer in Dubai.”

Ebrahim Saleh, Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of DEPE, says the total budget for the year’s festivities, including the Dubai Shopping Festival, is Dh200 million. We give you 15 different reasons why this year’s DSS is special.

1 Summer in a snow field: Close to the height of summer, the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) unveiled the agenda for Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2012 in minus 3°C at Ski Dubai. The event, with a campaign slogan of ‘Dubai. Summer Fun and More!’, runs until July 14.

The launch saw DSS officials, including Laila Mohammad Suhail, Ebrahim Saleh and Team Modhesh in warm jackets, cradling hot chocolate and making friends with the resident penguins.

Much of this year’s activity centres around wet or sub-zero themes, with ice rinks and water parks featuring prominently.

2 We want to return: Last year, an estimated four million people participated in DSS-related activities and events, including 888,882 regional and international visitors and more than three million UAE residents. With increased promotions and spectacular deals this year’s numbers are set to go up — officials anticipate 1.5 million tourists to visit Dubai this June and July over the course of the 15th instalment of DSS.

And they will be happy visitors. A study commissioned by DEPE and conducted by independent global research firm YouGov Siraj surveyed 1,295 international visitors and UAE residents throughout the festival period (June 22 to July 31, 2011). The vast majority — 98 per cent — of visitors rated their experience of Dubai as 'good' or 'excellent' and 85 per cent said that, based on DSS 2011, they would consider returning to Dubai in
the future.

3 Dh8.8 billion is a good start: DEPE statistics show that Dubai’s economy was boosted by Dh8.8 billion in revenue from the last DSS, with Dh5.9 billion spent by regional and international visitors, and Dh2.9 billion by UAE residents. Laila proudly compared it to the first edition of DSS, when visitors spent Dh850 million. If sales and draws are any indication, DSS now sees people actively searching for deals — organisers expect a 10 per cent increase in visitor spend.

4 More shopping: Residents and visitors plan their shopping around the month-long event. This year, expect discounts at more than 6,000 retail outlets across 70 shopping malls.

Key strategic partners and sponsors, including Emirates airline, AW Rostamani, Al Futtaim Group, Emaar Malls Group, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Dubai Duty Free,  MasterCard and the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) ensure that shoppers get more bang for their buck.

5 GCC residents come to Dubai: The DEPE team has been touring the GCC, spotlighting its summer promotions: the DSS, Ramadan in Dubai and Eid in Dubai. GCC residents love the DSS and visit in vast numbers. According to figures released by DEPE, Oman alone sent 224,000 Omani visitors to the city last year, based on hotel and hotel apartment occupancy figures.

6 An Indian summer: There is a spotlight on India this summer. Taking note of the large number of Indian visitors at the Dubai Shopping Festival over the years, DEPE went to India to promote the event. Indian expats going home shouldn’t be surprised if Mumbai looks a little like Dubai this season, with Modhesh smirking at them from billboards.

An event in Mumbai to kick off the campaign last month saw the launch of the Dubai Calendar website. And Emirates airline has already rolled out special ‘Do More in Dubai’ packages for Indian travellers, where two children under 12 years get a 50 per cent discount on flights, discounts on tourist visas, accommodation, meals, rides on the Dubai Metro and access to numerous attractions in Dubai when accompanied by two paying adults.

7 Puppets on a string: Young visitors to Dubai have many a special treat to look forward to. DSS 2012 will, for the first time, stage a Puppet Festival featuring puppet shows and workshops demonstrating how to create and manipulate puppets on stage. Other events include World of Stories and Kids Fashion Week, besides international cartoon stage shows such as The Smurfs, Telettubbies, Hello Kitty, Barbie and
Ice Age.

8 We speak in tongues: For the first time, DSS comes with its own guide in four languages — Arabic, English, Russian and Chinese. It will be packed with information on events and attractions, mall promotions and special offers, as well as helpful information for tourists. Sixty thousand copies of the book will be circulated at hotels, airports
and malls.

9 Raffles galore: The ever- popular mega shopping raffles leave visitors open-mouthed. In addition to cash prizes and more than three million dirhams worth of shopping vouchers, the summer festival will also stage weekly draws for Nissan Patrol cars and numerous shopping mall raffles all through the summer.

10 More spas per capita: The return of spa packages is an annual indulgence. This year, the programme has been revamped and given its own brand identity, called ‘Dubai Spas’. Wellness junkies — men and women — will be able to avail of unbeatable discounts at the best of Dubai’s luxurious spas all through the festival period. “Dubai has the highest concentration of spas per capita compared to any other place,”
Laila says.

11 Agent Dubai: Visitors who go to their trusted travel agents to book their Dubai visit should find agents armed with more information and deals. DEPE organised special workshops on the festival and on its Dubai Calendar product at Arabian Travel Market and during its roadshows to talk up the emirate’s tremendous tourist potential.

12 Modhesh moves: Going to see Modhesh doesn’t involve the Deira traffic anymore. Saleh announced that Modhesh World has moved to a new home this year at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), placing this exciting edutainment attraction in the very heart of the city. Kids can look forward to enjoying various activities, from sports and the arts to themed events and activities.

13 The festival is on mobiles: Now, DSS comes to your smartphones, too. A mobile app for consumers and a customised widget for Dubai’s businesses and government agencies have been rolled out for the Dubai Calendar website. The free smartphone app, available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android, allows visitors to set reminders for favourite activities and to connect with an internal GPS device to locate nearby happenings.
 
The widget lets UAE-based businesses and organisations embed a compact, digital version of Dubai Calendar directly onto their own websites. Since its launch last May, the Dubai Calendar website has witnessed a 10 to 15 per cent increase in visitors on a monthly basis, with the majority of site visits coming from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, the UK and the US.

14 Apprentice in the emirate: With tourism vital to the  UAE’s economy, the DSS Apprenticeship Programme lets young people determine if they want a career in the sector. The much-anticipated annual regional destination-marketing internship programme has become a draw for top student talent from across the Middle East, North Africa and Levant to Dubai for an intensive two-week marketing internship.

15 The promotions go on: The DEPE team will remain busy as DSS festivities give way to Eid and Ramadan this time. Signature events in shopping malls and Modhesh World at the DWTC will continue to draw visitors. While the festival continues, Saleh says that festivities would be appropriate to the holy month. The calendar of events has been tweaked slightly so there are no concerts planned during Ramadan and all events will be held after iftar. Thoughtful celebrations ahead!