The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination by top developer Emaar Properties, has set a new global milestone welcoming 65 million visitors in 2012, up more than 20 per cent when compared to the 54 million visitors hosted by the mall in 2011.

 

Underlining its credentials as the world’s most visited shopping and leisure destination, The Dubai Mall surpasses, by far, the annual visitor numbers to all leading shopping malls and leisure attractions in the world, highlighting Dubai’s eminent position as a global retail, tourism and business hub.

 

The visitor profile of the mall comprises UAE residents, a cosmopolitan population of over 200 nationalities, and also reflects the tourism demographics of Dubai, with guests arriving from all over the world. 

 

The retail sales across the various outlets in the mall have reported robust growth of 24 per cent over 2011, said a senior official. 

 

“The visitor footfall to The Dubai Mall has exceeded our expectations every year since its opening in 2008, and in 2012, we marked another landmark by welcoming 65 million visitors. This is complemented by the growth in retail sales of 24 per cent compared to 2011," remarked Mohamed Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties.

 

"These figures are a clear testament to the the mall’s evolution as the city’s must-visit tourist and retail hub. Significantly, the strong footfall also reiterates the economic impact of our flagship mall development by creating several thousand new jobs every year and supporting the trade and logistics sector of Dubai, which are key contributors to the economy," he added.

 

Attracting more number of visitors than the annual tourists to New York City at over 52 million and Los Angeles at 41 million in 2012, The Dubai Mall is today a must-visit destination in Dubai’s tourist itinerary, and the most-compelling getaway for retail enthusiasts and leisure seekers. 

 

The mall’s central location, only a four-hour flying distance away for a population of over 2.5 billion, makes it the world’s busiest fashion, retail and leisure hub, offering a wealth of choices for all visitors. 

 

The Dubai Mall’s new expansion will feature an unprecedented choice of world-class retail, and hospitality components, taking its total construction area to over 13 million sq ft.

 

The highlight of the mall’s retail expansion is the creation of a spectacularly designed boulevard like high-end shopping strip that will feature personalised flagship stores of international brands. Shoppers can experience the unparalleled ambience of strolling along foliage-rich walkways with water features, set on a strip lined by premium stores.

 

"The mall’s record visitor arrival has also been the result of the sustained value addition that we are focused on creating for our guests. Apart from the choice of global brands and the extensive repertoire of over 1,200 outlets, the mall’s leisure attractions are unique and serve as a magnet for tourists," said Alabbar.

 

"We have also further strengthened accessibility by creating new parking spaces and completing the Metro Link which connects the Dubai Metro station to the mall. The Dubai Mall has clearly set a global benchmark in mall and leisure operations, and we are building on it further with the new expansion programme across 1 million sq feet," he added.-TradeArabioa News Service