DSS brings in hordes of visitors

DSS brings in hordes of visitors Staff Reporter / 29 June 2013 Malls and tourist services in Dubai are reporting customer increases of up to 17 per cent on the same period last year, more than two weeks into one of the city’s major shopping festivals. The month-long Dubai Summer Surprises festival, which will run till July 7 just before the expected start of Ramadan, has seen “tens of thousands” of visitors flood the emirate, organisers said in a Press release. Organisers said they were expecting this year’s festival figures to top those from last year, which featured 4.4 million participants and Dh12.3 billion in sales, based on the strong showing exhibited so far, the release said. “The 16th edition of Dubai Summer Surprises has posted excellent growth in its first two weeks boosted by the arrival of tens of thousands of visitors to Dubai that has led to high occupancy levels at hotels and sharp increases in footfall and sales at over 70 malls and more than 6,000 retail outlets across the city,” organisers said. Meanwhile, Dubai’s malls are reporting positive signs as the festival reaches past the halfway point. Mercato & Town Centre Jumeirah Corporate Communication Manager Nisreen Boustani said there was a 17 per cent in crease in footfall so far this DSS compared with the same period last year, while sales were up 13 per cent. “Thousands of shoppers and visitors have been descending on Mercato to avail themselves of great promotions and prizes that are up for grabs this Dubai Summer Surprises. As a result of all the live entertainment and in-mall promotions, we have noticed an increase in the mall’s footfall as well as in sales during the first half of DSS 2013.” The campaign was an important strategy to keep Dubai recognised as the worldwide tourist destination, she said. Dubai Duty Free executive vice-chairman Colm McLoughlin said his company had also had a high retail turnover in the first half of the festival. “Our sales year to date is up 13 per cent over the same period last year. This is a great indication that successful events such as the Dubai Summer Surprises, which attracts visitors to Dubai, have a positive impact on the retail sector.” Currency exchange Al Fardan Exchange general manager Osama Hamza Al Rahma said the company had registered a 10 per cent increase in transactions during the first two weeks of DSS — “and we expect this momentum to continue until the end of DSS 2013”. With each passing year and successive DSS, Dubai became an increasing global tourist attraction, he said. “All these attractions and activities have had a positive impact on the business of exchange houses. In fact,  there is increasing demand for the Emirati dirham from the huge numbers of visitors coming from GCC and European countries.” Hotels were also benefitting from the shopping festival, with visitors, particularly from the GCC region, flooding the emirate this summer. Emirates Grand Hotel administration director Nader Abu El Ezz said the hotel’s occupancy rate had been at 99 per cent since the start of summer, due to various promotions and DSS. The occupancy rate, helped out by many GCC tourists, was a “great” improvement on the same period last year, he said. “Since January due to various occasions and festivities such as Dubai Shopping Festival and the holidays for public schools in the GCC countries, we have had an excellent period in terms of occupancy levels.” DSS 2013, organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, will feature more than 100 events and activities, as well as numerous shopping offers including promotions  and discounts of up to 75 per cent. — news@khaleejtimes.com Taylor Scott International