The first half of the 19th edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), a popular family extravaganza, has seen an upswing in economic activity across diverse sectors in the emirate from retail and hospitality to automotive and financial services.

With special promotions and unbeatable deals combined with world-class entertainment providing residents and visitors the opportunity to ‘Own The Summer’ in Dubai, DSS has helped shopping malls and entertainment destinations like Modhesh World record sharp increases in footfall with many hotels enjoying high occupancy levels and the various retail promotions giving a boost to the fashion and consumer electronics business.

DSS 2016, which commenced on July 9, is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). Running until August 20, DSS offers visitors plenty of opportunities to discover why Dubai is such a great year-round family destination.  

Laila Mohammad Suhail, CEO of DFRE, said: “Once again, Dubai Summer Surprises proves to be an important catalyst for stimulating Dubai’s economy during the summer months. Feedback we have received from stakeholders at the halfway mark just goes to show that we are on the right path in terms of supporting the retail sector and enhancing the shopping experience.”

“The positive indicators can also be attributed to the unique collaboration between the public and private sectors to launch innovative, tailor-made retail promotions that are aimed at both rewarding shoppers for shopping in Dubai, and encouraging more spending across sectors.”

DFRE’s strategic partners for 2016 are: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates, AW Rostamani Group, The Dubai Mall, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Al Futtaim Group, Mercato, Paris Gallery, ENOC, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai Duty Free, Meraas and Etisalat.

Modhesh World, one of the region’s most popular family edutainment destinations in the summer, received 120, 000 visitors and registered an 8 per cent increase in revenue since it opened its doors on 27 June. This year, Modhesh World is celebrating its biggest ever edition, occupying an area of over 34,000 sq m across eight halls of Dubai World Trade Centre.

Commenting on the impact of the Dubai Summer Surprises on customers, Petr Klimes, global head of Marketing, ADIB said: “Our participation at the Dubai Summer Surprises has been very successful and we are seeing an increase in card transactions at Dubai outlets by 20 per cent. In addition to that, we are proud to be the exclusive banking strategic partner of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment to offer our expertise to power the Dubai Festivals app which has been very popular and helped iPhone and android users get the most out of the offers at the Dubai Shopping Festival.”  

Majid Al Ghurair, chairman of Dubai Shopping Malls Group, said: “The retail sector plays a major role in the economy and is witnessing a significant increase in sales due to the continuous promotions and increasing participation from malls in Dubai.”

“The attractive promotions and offers that have been ongoing since Ramadan and through the summer by participating malls of the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) has resulted in a sharp rise in footfall to the malls. With the current boom in the retail industry, we anticipate participating malls taking advantage of the upcoming ‘Back-to-School’ season to drive shoppers to the malls. The DSMG secretariat estimates that the ‘Back-to-School’ season will aid the retail business to grow an additional four to five percent,” he added.

Fares Hamad Fares, vice president, Corporate Communications at Etisalat, said: “Dubai Summer Surprises is one of the highly anticipated summer events in the UAE and the region.”

“The significance of this annual event can be underpinned by the millions of residents and tourists it attracts from around the world who come to Dubai to enjoy its shopping promotions and distinctive line-up of events and activities. It consequently helps maintain our nation’s rich heritage and contributes to the country’s tourism, business, economy as well as its overall growth and development,” Fares added.

Charlie Taylor, group director of Brand Communications, Jumeirah Group, said: “Year after year, Dubai Summer Surprises continues to be a core driver of visitors to our Dubai hotels during the summer months.”

“Awareness of DSS in the countries of the GCC is high and many of our customers from these countries report that DSS is the primary reason for their visit.  Awareness is also increasing in other markets and even those customers who arrive at our hotels unaware of DSS soon find that it contributes to their level of enjoyment during their stay, especially when elements of the festival come into our hotels, such as the recent Angry Birds visit to Jumeirah Beach Hotel,” he added.

Nilesh Ved, founder & chairman, Apparel Group, said: “DSS 2016 - the highlight of the city’s summer calendar - has offered residents and visitors from around the world the opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of events, in addition to the summer promotions that have rewarded shoppers with millions of dirhams worth of prizes. Brands under the Apparel umbrella too have offered a sale percentage of 25 per cent to 60 per cent on DSS 2016 merchandise, thus giving the customer a fashion edge and more value for money.
 
Osama Al Rahma, CEO of Al Fardan Exchange, said: “During the first few weeks of Dubai Summer Surprises 2016, we witnessed a surge in currency exchange transactions thanks to the increasing numbers of GCC and other tourists arriving in Dubai for DSS shopping and entertainment. Transactions of foreign currency into dirhams have increased by 10 percent so far during these busy summer months for us in Dubai.”

Deepak Jagjivan Soni, owner of Marhaba Jewelry, said:   “Sales and footfall in the Gold Souk are always at their peak during the summer season. Regardless of the warmer weather, there is an influx of tourists who are always eager to discover the hidden treats of old Dubai and more notably, the city’s vast and renowned Gold Souk. Tourists coupled with our regular customers makes for a very busy summer indeed. The Dubai Summer Surprises festival goes hand in hand with our exciting jewellery offers that we launched at the beginning of the event.”

Christopher Balisbik, sales supervisor at Plug-Ins Electronix, The Dubai Mall said that mobile phones, smartphones and home electronics were attracting more shoppers to the store, which is offering huge discounts and running amazing promotions during DSS, offering prizes worth Dh250,000 ($68,000) including a range of electronics. He expects an increase in the number of shoppers to his store in the next few weeks of DSS. – TradeArabia News Service