In Focus | Dubai Shopping Festival 2012
DSF plans to showcase festive holiday season
The "Eid in Dubai" tourism promotion initiative undertaken by the Dubai Shopping Festival Office will expand over the years to cover larger aspects of showcasing the festive holiday.
- By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:13 October 3, 2008
Dubai: The "Eid in Dubai" tourism promotion initiative undertaken by the Dubai Shopping Festival Office will expand over the years to cover larger aspects of showcasing the festive holiday.
This year, Eid in Dubai will be spread out evenly over the period of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, with three days of celebrations on each occasion.
Laila Sohail, chief executive of DSF Office, said that in the coming years, their efforts will include the retail sector to a greater extent.
"We are encouraging the private sector, mainly retail to have promotions two weeks before Eid. This is a peak time as everyone is shopping for Eid," she said.
Sohail said that while major retailers are promoting their products already, prior to the Eid holidays, "hopefully, over the coming years, two weeks before each Eid, it will become a strong retail time in Dubai."
The office is packaging the festive season to highlight the traditions involved in celebrating Eid and promoting the occasion to enhance Dubai's image as a destination brand.
Recently, the UAE ranked number six in the first nation-branding index compiled by an online American portal, while Singapore ranked number one. For the first year, the DSF Office is spending Dh15 million to promote the occasion of Eid Al Fitr and is looking to expand that figure in the future.
It is one of the government's objectives, to convert every two weeks before Eid to a strong retail season, ending with three days of Eid celebrations, Sohail said. She added that the food and beverage sector will also be booming during the three days of each Eid.
