Dubai geared up to handle visitor inflow

Dubai's hotel industry as well as the transport companies are gearing up to accomodate the inflow of visitors this summer, as the first week of the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) gets under way.

The city is expected log a 10 per cent increase over last year's 1.51 million.

"Of course any visit to DSS will involve travelling whether by land or by air, and the companies involved in these sectors are offering special packages for the DSS, starting from the airlines, to the hotels to the all the transport companies in Dubai," Saeed Al Naboudah, chief executive of DSS, told Gulf News.

The increase in business with the number of expected tourists coming to Dubai has prompted both hotels and airlines to offer special packages for families, who are the prime targets of DSS, according to Al Naboudah.

"Airlines are in fact offering special family packages, while hotels are offering several extra services and amenities to the families.

"This is also true for all sectors involved like communication and transportation, and for retailers of course they are providing great offers and deals as well as the chances to win prizes, so everybody plays a role whether directly or indirectly," he said.

The success of the DSS since it began in 1998 has grown steadily, as Dubai registers more visitors every year and retailers along with the associated service sectors generate record sales in each successive season.

Organisers of the ten-week event have marketed DSS in all GCC countries with mascot Modhesh.

They have also carried their marketing campaign abroad by attending international events such as the World Travel Market last November in the United Kingdom as well as this May's Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.

DSS also undertook special marketing campaigns in areas as distant as the Far East, the Indian Sub-continent and the Commonwealth of Independent States in addition to Iran and the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, promising a new DSS this year that is bigger and full of new activities.

"What makes us different is that we focus on the children and we are not only a destination for kids but also for the entire family as well.

"The sheer grandness of the event also differentiates us, because in reality the ten weeks are ten mini-festivals in one DSS event," Al Naboudah said. "The DSS is the longest event, going on for 73 days, and we are the biggest in terms of the number of events, which are more than 300."

The secret of success of one of the most popular summer events in the region has been its appeal to all age groups and nationalities as well as the uniqueness of the event, according to Al Naboudah.

"We also have the biggest edutainment indoor facility for children in the Middle East and we are looking at a minimum of Dh30 million in prizes to give away to visitors, so all these factors set us aside from the competition," he said.

Although the bulk of the visitors to the DSS have traditionally come from the neighbouring GCC countries, in particular Saudi Arabia, the summer event has witnessed a growing number of visitors from Turkey, Iran, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Australia, he added.