With Bahraini tourist’s arrival to Dubai increases by 10 per cent during the first half of 2010, Dubai is eying more tourists to visit its flagship Dubai Shopping Festival 2011.
Addressing during a road show in Manama, the organizers of the GCC’s most visited shopping festival revealed that around 40 million visitors had spent close to BD 8.4 billion between DSF 1996 and DSF 2010, making DSF as a major contributor to the national economy.
The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency under the Department of Economic Development (DED) and organizers of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), brought the biggest shopping and entertainment extravaganza in the Middle East to Bahrain, promoting the event in Manama for its forthcoming 2011 edition.
Being held in cooperation with Emirates, Bahrain is an important stop in a regional DSF road show covering GCC, Egypt and India. While the DEPE delegation showcased the highlights of the 2011 edition, Emirates airline promoted its special packages for Dubai during DSF 2011.
Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, said that the regional road show visited Bahrain as it was one of the largest tourist markets for Dubai. He also stressed that DEPE would market and promote the 16th shopping and entertainment extravaganza to media organizations, travel agents, and tour operators, familiarizing them with the attractions of DSF which is held annually under the slogan ‘One World, One Family, One Festival.
“More than 6000 retail outlets and around 50 shopping malls will take part in DSF 2011 offering a host of discounts and sale prices of up to 80% on a wide range of goods and services. The 32- day event will also feature more than 150 events taking place across the emirate,” he added.
“We encourage everyone from Bahrain to visit Dubai during the popular Dubai Shopping Festival and take advantage of our special holiday packages, which include deals for families. Traveling from Bahrain to Dubai with Emirates is easy as we operate 21 weekly flights with an average of 3 direct daily flights from Manama. Bahrain is one of Emirates’ most important markets and we strive to ensure that we are offering the best service to our customers,” said Tariq Tawakul, Emirates Country Manager Bahrain.
“Emirates’ special holiday packages during DSF offer a range of prices, properties and benefits to satisfy the needs of our customers in Bahrain, especially families. During DSF 2011, Emirates is offering a ‘Stay 4, Pay 3’ promotion which includes some of the best beach and city hotels in Dubai. The package includes accommodations for four nights for the price of three, airport transfers to and from the hotel by private car, and an Arabian Adventures welcome pack, apart from numerous other benefits. This promotion can only be availed during DSF with prices starting from just $55 per person per night based on double occupancy”, added Tawakul.
Ibrahim Saleh also said the Dubai tourism market was developing at a fast pace and attracting an increasing number of visitors. The latest statistics show a 20% increase in the number of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) visitors staying at Dubai hotels during the first six months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. The number of Bahraini citizens visiting Dubai also increased over the same period by 10% from 31,852 to 34,967 visitors.
“This increase in Bahraini tourists is a reflection of our success in developing a host of attractive programmes and activities such as the Lexus, Nissan, and gold draws, and millions of Dirhams in cash prizes. The 2011 show will witness exclusive events such as special Disney shows and musical concerts by famous international and Arab singers as part of a fully fledged entertainment programme,” he added.