Introduction

Events

Key Attractons

Mediacal

Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2000, the fifth annual shopping , entertainment and cultural extravaganza, will be held from March 1 to 31, 2000, with a variety of events revolving round Mother, the theme of this year’s event, and the introduction of online shopping facility for Net shoppers across the globe.

The annual shopping event is expected to attract over 2 million visitors who will be flocking to the tiny but commercially vibrant emirate to avail of some great shopping bargains and enjoy the unique attractions of one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world.

During DSF ’99, a record number of 2.4 million visitors came to Dubai from across the globe, resulting in incremental sales of US$ 1.12 billion during 28 days of the Festival, surpassing all expectations.

Dubai offers a  blend of the modern and the traditional, mixing the best of the East with the best of the West. During the annual Dubai Shopping Festival, the small emirate within the fast-developing United Arab Emirates (UAE) takes centre stage, as it becomes every visitor’s ideal tourism, shopping and leisure destination.

During DSF, Dubai offers the world’s best brands at the world’s lowest prices. Over 2,300 retail outlets participate in the Festival, offering goods and services that range from the latest in haute couture and perfumes to gold and jewellery, electronics, cars, cosmetics, textiles and traditional handicrafts.

The Festival, organised through a unique partnership between the Government of Dubai and the city’s enterprising corporate sector, is the largest retailing event in the Middle East and has been a catalyst in the development of Dubai’s energetic retail sector.

Although Dubai is considered a year-round shoppers’ paradise, during DSF the city becomes the most exciting shopping destination in the world. Dubai has bustling textile and spice souks (traditional markets), the renowned Gold Souks with over 400 jewellery shops, two electronic markets and over 25 world-class shopping malls.

Apart from big cash discounts, DSF shoppers are amply rewarded with scores of raffles offering lavish prizes such as luxury cars, pure gold as well as cash. Dubai-based travel and tourism companies offer discounts, including special rates on air fare, accomodation and local transportation, for those wishing to visit Dubai during the festival.

There are over 300 hotels and 130 apartment hotels in Dubai, offering over 31,300 beds, with special deals during the DSF. Among the hotels is the brand-new dhow-shaped Burj Al Arab - part of the world-famous Jumeirah Beach Hotel - the world’s tallest offshore hotel tower.

Dubai International Airport, which is in the final phase of a Dhs 540 million expansion, ranks first in the Middle East and the fastest growing in the world, surpassing even Amsterdam’s Schiphol. It handled 11 million passengers in 1999 , and the number is projected to swell to 19 million in 2005. Featuring 118,000 square metres ( 1.2 million square feet) of covered space, the concourse contains a new duty-free complex, parking positions for 55 aircraft, 42 passenger loading bridges and 221 check-in counters.

Emirates airline, the Official Carrier and a Key Sponsor of DSF, flies in visitors from 50 destinations in 40 countries. Emirates and most other airlines flying out of Dubai offer discounted fares and excess baggage allowances during the Festival.