Over the years, DSS has emerged as one of the key tourist attractions in the region making Dubai a perfect destination for the families to spend a quality time during the summer.
DSS 2012 offers non-stop entertainment, fun and shopping experience to the residents and visitors for one month long festival in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This year organisers put together more than 100 exciting shows and activities spanning over the 31 days starting from June 14th to July 14th 2012, adding a new dimension to Dubai’s reputation as the finest summer destination in the region.
The Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency under the Department of Economic Development of Dubai (DED), unveiling the agenda for Dubai Summer Surprises 2012, which will run from June 14th to July 14th, launched marketing campaign titled “Dubai Summer Fun and More.”
The details of the fun-filled DSS 2012 were revealed by Laila Suhail, CEO of DEPE, Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of DEPE, to the pre-event briefing attended by local, regional and international media.
Suhail explained that the unique way which DEPE chose to announce DSS 2012 calendar of events comes as part of its firm commitment to promoting Dubai’s tourism landmarks and incredible infrastructure – unique within the region – and the role it has played in building Dubai’s reputation as a year-round international tourism destination, hailing at the same time DSS as a game changer in the regional festival industry.
“Dubai Summer Surprises, in its fifteenth edition, has become undoubtedly the largest summer event in the region. This annual event has helped change the concept of summer in Dubai, and put the emirate on the map as an international summer holiday destination. The first edition of the DSS was launched in 1998, welcoming 600,000 visitors, while last year’s edition welcomed around four million visitors with a total visitor spend in 2011 of nearly Dh9 billion, compared to Dh850 million in the first edition of DSS,” Ms. Suhail, said.
“Over the years, Dubai Summer Surprises has built an outstanding reputation as a summer festival of not just regional, but international repute, making the city of Dubai synonymous with entertainment, shopping rewards and fun for the whole family.”
“If you browse through the “Dubai Calendar”, a government initiative which was launched by DEPE over a year ago, you will find that the calendar gives visitors and residents a month-by-month line-up of the unique and entertaining events taking place in the city all year round and that it is a great source of reference for anyone wanting to make the most of their time in Dubai. We are determined to continue to develop the activities and events – not just during key festival periods but all through the year – to maintain our leadership in this area, and thus strengthen our efforts to support the retail and tourism sector through choosing to host exciting and unique events in Dubai.”
Suhail thanked the key strategic partners and sponsors which includes Emirates Airlines, AW Rostamani, Al Futtaim Group, Emaar Malls Group, Emaar Properties, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Al Ghurair City, Mercato, Paris Gallery, EPPCO and ENOC, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai Duty Free in addition to Master card and Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG), all of which, over the years, have played an important role in the success and continuing growth of DSS.
Ibrahim Saleh said this year’s line-up of activities, shopping rewards and family entertainment promised a summer spectacle sure to appeal to both residents and visitors alike. In addition, he stressed the important boost the summer event continues to provide to the Dubai economy during what was traditionally a lean tourist period, with DSS succeeding in pumping billions of tourist dirhams into the economy over the past few years.
“DSS 2012 features various signature events that present a great diversity of choice and reflect the international theme that DSS has acquired over the years from its efforts to tailor the events to suit different tastes. Malls across the city will play host to DSS signature events, such as World of Stories, Kids Fashion Week, Min Bladi Al Emarat, and the Sheila and Abaya Fashion Show, and kids can look forward to 8 highly popular international stage cartoon shows such as The Smurfs, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Sponge Bob, Charlie and Lola, Ice Age, and Teletubbies,” Saleh said.
Saleh added that one of the most popular DSS attractions Modhesh World moved to a new home this year at DWTC, placing this exciting edutainment attraction in the very heart of the city.
“Kids can look forward to enjoying the various themed zones, events, and activities that Modhesh World offers in a convenient and child-friendly environment.”
As always, the highly anticipated shopping rewards and raffles will once again be back this year. Shoppers can look forward to Nissan Patrol and Micra raffles, cash prizes, shopping vouchers and shopping mall raffles offering prizes worth Dh3 million in total.
DSS features huge sales and discounts across a range of brands in malls all across the city as well as a re-launched spa offers program under a brand new identity called “Dubai Spas”. Spa enthusiasts will be able to avail of unbeatable discounts at the cream of Dubai’s luxurious spas all through the festival period.
Other highlights of DSS include the much anticipated annual regional destination-marketing internship programme – the DSS Apprenticeship Programme – which will once again bring top student talent from across the Middle East, North Africa and Levant to Dubai for an intensive two-week marketing internship.
The highlights of the upcoming DSS 2012 include the Ski Dubai venue by the DSS mascot Modhesh, wearing a scarf. The entire Ski Dubai snow park was decorated in the festival’s summery colours, acting as a harbinger of the fun and excitement till July 14th.