The 13th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival 2008 will run from January 24 through to February 24, according to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Department of Civil Aviation, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and chairman of the DSF Supreme Committee.
The upcoming edition of DSF (which will focus on key three elements that have come to characterize the event - shopping, winning, and family entertainment) “is designed to stand out as a full-fledged festive season on its own, thus laying emphasis on an exclusive period of world-class shopping and family entertainment,” he said adding that every edition strived to better the previous one and this year would be no different.
“The different scheme for DSF 2008 was thoughtfully laid out to meet the high expectation of visitors to Dubai. The overwhelming success and the achievements accomplished by DSF over the years have made it possible to set the ground for a vibrant entertainment industry in the region,” he said.
Some 3.5 million visitors spent Dh10.2 billion ($2.8 billlion) during the 45 days of the last DSF, according to numbers released by the organisers.
The event welcomed 3.5 million visitors, a seven per cent increase over the previous event. Visitor spending was up 53 per cent.
According to Sheikh Ahmed, the DSF has set new standards for family entertainment along with a diversified spectrum of events that have combined to become a catalyst in the growth witnessed by the economy, and especially by the tourism sector.
“The popularity of DSF can be gauged in that it has been the role model for burgeoning regional entertainment ventures to emulate, apart from attracting multi-billion dollar entertainment based projects into UAE”, he added.
The coming edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival will focus on three key elements - shopping, winning and family entertainment.
However, the Global Village, which was once part of the DSF, will start on December 13 this year, just before Eid Al Adha and winter vacation.