Dubai: Global Village has shuttered its doors marking the close of its 22nd season after logging a record-breaking seasonal attendance of more than six million visitors, said park officials on Monday.
In its 158 days of operation this season, Global Village said it rang in Dh2.9 billion in business transactions and showcased cultures of more than 75 countries at its wide array of 27 pavilions.
Bader Anwahi, Chief Executive Officer of Global Village, said: “All our initiatives and endeavours across each and every single touch point have been made with the singular vision of enhancing the guest experience. Global Village, especially in its 22nd season, has strived to be the destination for our guests to experience the world – residents and tourists alike.”
“The shopping, dining, funfair and entertainment experiences offered during the 158 days of season 22 were authentic and of a world-class level, which I believe is one of the reasons why Global Village attracted more than six million guests, scoring 9 out of 10 in the happiness index,” Anwahi said in a statement.
Organisers were pleased with a concert by international pop superstar Liam Payne which witnessed an unprecedented guest turnout of more than 110,000 visitors and was part of a total 23 concerts that took place at Global Village in Season 22.
Entertainment has been at the forefront of the Global Village experience with some of the biggest international, Asian and Arab artists performing at its new main cultural stage with its “superior acoustics” and “exciting stage visuals”. The stars that descended on Global Village in the five-month period included Arab stars such as Amr Diab, Nancy Ajram, Najwa Karam, Elissa, Tamer Hosney and Shireen; and Bollywood stars Shreya Ghoshal, Mika Singh, Sonu Nigam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Global Village achieved a Guinness World Records title with the ‘Largest Cup of Hot Tea in the World’ by making 5,000 litres of hot karak tea in a single tea cup that stood more than 4.7 metres tall and served free to more than 50,000 guests. In addition, it hosted the biggest pot of coffee in the world, brought over from Bosnia, holding more than 600 litres of coffee that was also served to guests.
As part of its community outreach, Global Village organised the innovative ‘Victory Project’ competition with 15,000 students from more than 50 schools in the UAE. They designed and decorated more than 3,000 ceramic tiles in the shape of the UAE’s ‘Al Nasr’ logo or the Victory sign. These designs were displayed at the Global Village in celebration of the 46th National Day and three schools won prizes of up to Dh100,000 towards developing their arts and crafts departments.
