Dubai Shopping Festival And Global Village Join Hands To Further Enhance Dubai Position As A Unique Family Tourism Destination

Since its inception in 1997, Global Village has become one of the key attractions of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), adding to the rich diversity of the festival through its unique concept of vibrant pavilions – each representing a different country. As a Key Sponsor of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and organisers of DSF, Global Village has, year after year, added value to the festival’s line-up of events and activities.

Launched in 1997, Global Village has established its position as a leading family entertainment and cultural attraction of Dubai, featuring one-of-a-kind shopping, leisure and retail experiences at its several pavilions, featuring cuisines, dance forms, handicrafts, arts and culture, and much more.

The enticing line-up of family-friendly opportunities at Global Village has offered numerous DSF visitors and shoppers and residents the chance to savour the taste of local, regional and international cultures from various parts of the world. Further, the fantastic mix of culturally-themed entertainment options available to visitors at Global Village are a riveting representation of DSF’s universal theme, “One World, One Family, One Festival.”

In an interview with the Media Centre of DFRE, Mr. Ahmad Hussain, Chief Operating Officer, Global Village, hailed DSF as a vital partner towards the continuing success and growth of Global Village. He added that the DSF season is a key period for Global Village given the influx of a high numbers of visitors, which eventually translates into bigger shopping spends at pavilions and restaurants.

Excerpts of the interview

What are the major changes and impacts that the Dubai Shopping Festival has had on your organization over the past 20 years?

Global Village is synonymous with the Dubai Shopping Festival for many of our visitors considering our long history with DSF. The Dubai Shopping Festival drives a lot of tourists to our family and entertainment destination during the month of January and we have seen the growth in visitor numbers over the years during the DSF period.

In relation to your annual business plans and strategy – how important is the DSF period to the success of your business?

The DSF period is a key period for Global Village as the high visitor numbers also translate into bigger shopping spends at our pavilions and restaurants. We ensure we plan special entertainment offerings for families to enjoy at our park, to further enhance the experience for the DSF visitors who come to Global Village.

How important has DSF been to the overall economic development of UAE and promoting the Emirates around the world over the past two decades?

DSF has had a huge impact on the economy of Dubai and is a key facilitator to not just the retail industry but to the tourism and entertainment industries as well. People from around the world visit Dubai during this period and DSF has helped put Dubai on the map.

If you could sum up in just one phrase what DSF means to you as an organization – what would that phrase be?

We perceive DSF as a vital partner to the continuing success and growth of Global Village.

How important is the DSF period for Global Village in visitor numbers?

The DSF period is a key period for us in terms of visitor numbers. In the first 2 days of DSF itself Global Village, recorded an entry of 200,000 people.

Where do you find that most of your non local visitors come from during DSF?

Most of our non-local visitors during DSF come from the GCC countries and Saudi Arabia.

What does Global Village do to actively promote its DSF activities – and do you have special concerts or promotions during the Festival?

We have special shows and entertainment segments during the DSF period as well as big concerts with mainstream Arab artists and these events are promoted extensively through all our communication channels to entice the visitors to Global Village during this special season.

What do you have during DSF in terms of promotions, events and prizes?

Every year Global Village is a vital host venue to the biggest DSF raffle draws of the DSF period. The Infiniti Mega Raffle gives one DSF shopper the opportunity to take home a big prize worth AED 500,000 consisting of two luxurious Infiniti models, QX 60 and Q 50, plus AED 100,000 in cash in the daily draws. The Nissan Grand Raffle, on the other hand, offers DSF visitors the opportunity to win a Nissan car daily out of 10 popular models plus the additional chance to win a Nissan Patrol every week, for a minimum spend of AED 20 at any ENOC/EPPCO petrol station.

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Jan 21, 2015

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