DSF 2012 Registered 9 Percent Rise In Visitor Traffic And Injected US & 1 Billion Per Week Into Dubai

Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency of the Department of Economic Development and organisers of Dubai Shopping Festival today revealed findings from an in-depth market research study conducted on the internationally renowned DSF, highlighting its economic impact and sizeable contribution towards Dubai’s economy.

The study, based on extensive research, shows that the festival attracted more than 4.36 million visitors, up from just under 3.98 million in 2011; representing an increase of approximately 9 per cent. DSF attendance numbers rose across the board – with Dubai residents who visited the festival up from 1.32 million to 1.54 million; visitors from other emirates up from 1.77 million to 1.93 million; and international visitors increasing from 885,000 to 895,000.

The results of the study carried out during DSF 2012 by independent leading global research firm YouGov, comes ahead of the 18th edition of DSF, which gets underway on January 3, and reveals interesting data on the festival related to participation and awareness levels, behavioural aspects of visitors covering numerous areas including travel, transportation and accommodation in addition to profiles and spending habits of visitors.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group and Chairman of Dubai World, said: “Dubai keeps striding with confidence taking solid steps on its path to be in the forefront of the global leading destinations. This remarkable journey of success was planned by Dubai’s leadership decades ago, for their farsighted vision and their determination to achieve the set plans has seen the city through challenging times. HH Sheik Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai explained Dubai’s philosophy and strategy in few words, though simple, yet it says it all when HH stated that “The Future Doesn’t Wait for the Hesitant”, hence Dubai will keep going on with giant steps towards the future”.

HH also said: “The tourism and retail sectors are historically two of the main pillars on which the Emirate of Dubai has built its economy, add to it a thriving event sector and they entwine with the state of the art infrastructure that Dubai has and the result would be a substantial contribution to the city’s GDP. Our main economic sectors are undoubtedly reaping the benefits of Dubai’s Government resolve on enhancing its infrastructure in the past years”.

HH also praised the private sector contribution, and its commitment to support government initiatives, such as the Dubai Shopping Festival: “It’s an asset that Dubai always bank on. You can never fail if you have the private and public sectors working together in harmony, this Dubai’s recipe for success”, HH concluded.

The research data demonstrated DSF’s significant impact on Dubai’s economy, bringing in more than AED14.7bn during the 2012 festival period – or the equivalent of US$ 1 billion per week. Although overall spend decreased slightly year-on-year, down from AED 15.1 billion in 2011, spend on both shopping and accommodation – two critical components of the festival and of Dubai’s economy – increased. Total shopping spend rose from AED 8.7 billion to AED 8.9 billion, and accommodation spend was up from AED 2.7 billion to AED 2.8 billion. A decrease was seen in the amount of money spent on transportation within the city – down from AED 939,000 to AED 610,000 reflecting an increase in visitors opting for public transport, particularly taxis and the metro system rather than hire cars; with spend on food and beverage also down on 2011 figures.

His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of Dubai Economic Department, said: “The DSF is an annual event which year after year supports our retail industry, showcases our events expertise and contributes significantly to Dubai’s hospitality and aviation sectors, as well as a host of other businesses and industries in the city. Through this research, we can gauge accurately the overall impact of the festival on our economy, and further build and strengthen our regional leadership and cement our status as one of the world’s leading shopping and entertainment destinations.

“Our offering in retail and events is, we believe, second to none, and we will strive through a coordinated government approach and through continued and innovative partnerships between our public and our private sectors, to further our lead and continue to set new standards in shopping, in hospitality and in events and festivals.”

Her Excellency Laila Mohd Suhail, CEO of DEPE, said: “DEPE, as one of the Department of Economic Development agencies, continues to strive to create and launch innovative tools and initiatives that directly impact the events and retail sectors, which is in line with our strategy to achieve economical sustainability through diversifying the sources of national income and enhancing the non-oil related sectors”.

“As we prepare to launch our latest edition of the globally renowned and much imitated but never bettered Dubai Shopping Festival, it is truly inspirational to see the figures from our research. These findings not only demonstrate the tangible impact of the festival on our economy and its role in creating and sustaining employment across multiple industries, but also the enjoyment, excitement and anticipation that it creates among residents and visitors alike.

“Despite challenges we have faced and continue to face in terms of the global economy and regional political unrest, the festival and Dubai continue to provide an oasis of stability and security where visitors receive a welcome and experience unlike anywhere else in the world. It is something in which all of us here in the city should take pride.”

Commissioned by DEPE and conducted and independently audited by YouGov, the DSF 2012 study surveyed 1,293 international visitors and 1,202 UAE residents throughout the festival period (January 5 - February 5, 2012). The research was designed to pinpoint key findings on spending habits, participant engagement, visitor profile, and retailer perceptions of this highly anticipated annual shopping event.  

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Dec 30, 2012

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