More than half a million people visit Global Village

Dubai: The popular tourism and shopping destination Global Village, welcomed more than 500,000 visitors during the 10-day Eid Al Adha holiday.

Boasting with new attractions for all the family, Global Village’s 18th season has seen a record-breaking number of people compared to previous years during Eid. Dubai’s famous annual tourism and cultural destination joined forces with UK-based Mellors Events Group, offering the public The Fantasy Island Funfair – a huge attraction this year.

“We were extremely pleased to see so many people, of all ages, enjoying the funfair to the extent that they did,” said Ahmad Hussain Bin Eisa, executive director of operations at Global Village.

“We had been really looking forward to working with Mellors and seeing what they could provide the crowds in the Middle East, and they have more than exceeded expectations,” he said.

‘The Fantasy Island Funfair’ includes more than 50 rides and games suitable for the entire family. A creative addition to the funfair this year is the wooden decked floors decorating the grounds – designed similarly to Coney Island, a renowned amusement park in New York City.

Other fun-packed attractions luring visitors into those large Global Village gates include comedians, magicians and circus performers. Australia’s comic daredevil comedian, Ernest the Magnifico, entertained adults and children throughout Eid with his unique and creative comic character.

“With the huge amounts of people we had visiting the park, we were pleased to see the success of the newly launched Fantasy Island Fair, and the show of support the crowds gave to the fantastic performers we brought over to Dubai, some for the first time ever,” said Bin Eisa.

Last year’s Global Village hosted almost 12,000 shows in only six months. Past seasons have also welcomed famous artists to its stage, such as the Lebanese singer Diana Haddad.

During this year’s Eid Al Adha, Global Village lit up Dubai’s sky with its spectacular fireworks display – adding a colourful Eid spirit to the whole village.

One reason Global Village has always been a popular destination is its wide assortment of international cuisine. Enticing aromas attracted visitors to take a break from exploring, and sip hot karak chai and taste different foods from the kiosks.

“I took my children to Global Village this year during the Eid break and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The shows were spectacular and the overall atmosphere was very enjoyable. The rides were slightly expensive and the queues were quite long, but overall it was a lot of fun,” said Yara Al Buthani, an Emirati mother-of-three.

More than 65 countries are represented this Global Village season, under 30 newly designed pavilions. Countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Thailand were crowd favourites, as well as new countries that joined the Global Village family including France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

For the past 15 years Global Village has opened its doors to the public for its yearly season, welcoming nearly five million visitors a year.

Finding its permanent home on the outskirts of Dubailand, on the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed highway, it remains open until March 1, 2014.

Elisar Sasso is an intern at Gulf News