Mega Global Village opens today

Dubai: Featuring 30 pavilions, new attractions and more parking space, this year's Global Village that spans over 320,000 square metres opens on Thursday.

Organisers expect the number of visitors to grow from 4.2 million to 4.5 million, which translates into almost half a billion to Dh1 billion income for businesses, based on a Dh100 to Dh200 per visitor spend.

Additional attractions like a permanent water canal and a huge lake have been set up, occupying 143,200 square metres, and the parking spaces can accommodate 16,500 vehicles, organisers said.

Stretching 1,986 feet in length, the canal passes through the Global Village to end up at the fun fair lake. Both the lake and the canal have been filled with four million gallons of water.

Aside from the designated parking areas for cars around the Global Village, there are also dedicated parking slots for public transport, taxis, private buses and Global Village shuttle buses. VIP parking is located in front of the Global Village along with valet parking services.

The Global Village started small along the Dubai creek in 1996, with kiosks selling products and handicrafts from various countries. A year after, the number of visitors grew to almost a million and the number of participating countries reached 18.

During the 10th anniversary in 2005, about 5 million visitors flocked to the Global Village over 79 days.

More attractions and facilities were introduced in 2006 and the village attracted 2.1 million visitors.

Five mega events have been lined up for this season - a vertical concert, a jumper show, an aquatic fantasy show, a percussion parade and a big drum workshop. Most of the shows run daily.

This season's participating countries are China, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Laos, India, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Philippines, Vietnam, Europe, Senegal, Nepal, Rwanda, East and West Africa, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Qatar, Czech, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, North Africa and East Asia.

The Global Village, located in Dubailand on Emirates Road, also features 32 restaurants, 100 kiosks and 20 service areas.

The event will run until March 1, extending the operation period from 59 days last year to 80. It is open from 4pm to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 4pm to 1am on Thursday to Saturday. Mondays, however, are only for families.

Tickets are priced at Dh5 and can be bought at the entry gates. Entry for infants (under two years) and disabled visitors is free.