From DSS to the great summer sale: Dubai plans for hyper-busy season with packed events calendar

Dubai: Dubai is gearing up for an exceptionally vibrant summer, with the events calendar including events such as the beloved Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) to the Great Summer Sale.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), told travel, tourism, and hospitality leaders at the bi-annual Dubai Stakeholders City Briefing that the city is set to solidify its position as a 365-day holiday destination, offering experiences even during the hotter months.

Alkhaja highlighted the immense pressure on their teams to secure larger venues to accommodate the growing number of events.“This year, the summer is a little bit different," Al Khaja said. “The retail committee, working closely with us, decided to put something different this year, a surprise for the city's residents.”

Khaja said the upcoming summer period, spanning almost nine weeks, will be structured into three phases:

Offers: Kicking off with thousands of attractive deals for residents and visitors. Al Khaja said the significant number of hotel rooms in Dubai: "We have over 153,000 rooms that we need to fill over the summer. So, with our great support, there were so many offers for the residents and visitors."

Great Summer Sale: This marks a new and exciting addition to Dubai's retail calendar. "This is happening for the first time," Al Khaja said, noting Dubai's consistent success as a retail hub. "What we have seen throughout all the surveys we've done worldwide is that customer satisfaction in Dubai as a retail destination has been the highest. Thank you to all our retail partners, shopping malls, retailers, everybody within that industry, for putting such great experiences and raising the bar again for Dubai to reach such achievements."

Back to School: A crucial family season offering innovative and diverse shopping opportunities. "Dubai is always leading the innovation regarding the school season. It's a very important season for our kids, families, and people who come from other destinations and shop in Dubai," Al Khaja explained, emphasizing Dubai's unique offerings for school equipment.

Al Khaja also said Dubai's commitment to a packed events calendar beyond just shopping. "Dubai has always been busy with events, and even during this summer, we have so many events," he said. He gave the example of the Dubai Comedy Festival, which stands out globally by featuring performances in seven languages to cater to the city's diverse residents and visitors. "The Comedy Festival is the only one in the world with such a number of languages. Again, it's to cater to the visitors and the residents, unique to Dubai."

The CEO also touched upon the booming business events sector, a key indicator of the city's robust economy. "This year, just over the past five months, we have put in more than 295 bids, almost two bids a day, and that's for international events that we want to win and host in Dubai. Over the same period, we have won 178 events," Al Khaja said.

Looking ahead, Dubai will host the popular Dubai 30x30 initiative, expanding with more events, including a large yoga session. "Our events continue to innovate. Our events continue to cater for our residents and our visitors and continue to deliver satisfaction. We continue to deliver sustainable, accessible, and great events for the world to enjoy," he added.

Dubai's growth trajectory remains robust, with the first four months of 2025 recording 7.15 million international visitors, a 7 per cent year-on-year increase. "After the disruption of 2020, we surpassed our pre-pandemic visitor numbers in 2023. Then, in 2024, we exceeded them once again,” said Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), a division of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET).

Dubai's hotel sector is also experiencing strong forward bookings for the rest of 2025, surpassing last year's figures as the emirate continues its ascent as a global tourism magnet, according to "We're confident the coming months will be even busier than previous years," Kazim explained. Dubai's tourism performance remains impressive, with 2024 seeing 43.03 million occupied room nights, a 3 per cent increase from 2023's 41.7 million.

Average hotel occupancy reached 78.2 per cent in 2024, up from 77.4 per cent the year prior, and is projected to climb further to around 80 per cent in 2025. Leading the occupancy rates in 2025 were Dubai Marina (86 per cent), followed by Palm Jumeirah and Oud Metha (85 per cent).

"When it comes to product development, we always aim to stay ahead," Kazim said. "We’re closely monitoring global trends and traveller preferences to ensure we meet and exceed expectations."

Looking ahead, Kazim urged the stakeholders to prepare for a substantial increase in tourist arrivals with the upcoming opening of the new Al Maktoum International Airport to passenger traffic, which is projected to become operational for passengers in phases starting around 2032.