Dubai Shopping Festival 2004 to launch 7 Arabian Gulf cities Road show

Dubai is launching a massive two phase campaign in seven Arabian Gulf cities from December 16 to 22 to promote the 2004 edition of the trend setting Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) to be held from January 15 to February 15.

The first phase of the DSF 2004 GCC Road Shows will take place from December 13 to 16, covering Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. The Saudi cities of Jeddah, Riyadh, and Al Khobar are to be covered from December 20 to 22. In each city, up 200 participants are expected at the event which is open to the travel industry players and local print and electronic media.

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) organized a pre-event meeting for the co-participants of the road shows to discuss about the arrangements and share views with the DTCM and DSF officials. The road shows are being conducted with the joint cooperation of the DTCM and Emirates. 

The meeting was addressed by Mr. Ibrahim Saleh, Chief Operating Officer, DSF, Mr. Saleh Al Geziry, and Mr. Omar Al Qurashi, both DTCM Executives, Overseas Promotions.

Mr. Ibrahim briefed the participants about the calendar of events and preparations about the major attractions for the month-long, multi-venue shopping-and-recreational extravaganza. The DSF-2004 is expected to be much bigger than the previous eight editions. ‘One World, One Family, One Festival’ is the theme of DSF-2004. 

Mr. Al Geziry said: “The AGCC states are an important source markets for the Dubai tourism in general and DSF and DSS in particular. There has been significant year-on-year increase in the number of visitors from the Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. Given the extensive calendar of events for the DSF-2004, we expect a big jump in the number of visitors this time.”

The promotional tour kicks off on December 13 in Doha followed by road shows in Kuwait on December 14, Bahrain on December 15, and Muscat on December 16. The 27 co-participants for these road shows comprise of Dubai-based hotels and hotel apartments, tour operators, and car rental and travel companies, in addition to the Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department (DNRD).

The Dubai delegation for the first phase includes Saleh Al Geziry, Omar Ali Qurashi, Ibrahim Saleh, and Major Jassim Abdul Ghafour, Assistant Director, DNRD.

The second phase of the road shows will start in Jeddah on December 20 followed by Riyadh on December 21, and Al Khobar on December 22. The road shows in Saudi Arabia has attracted 32 co-participants from the hospitality and tourism sectors. In addition to Saleh Al Geziry, Omar Al Qurashi and Major Jassim Abdul Ghafour of DNRD, the Dubai delegation to Saudi road shows will be headed by Saeed Al Nabouda, Chief Executive Officer, DSF.

Raffle draws will be conducted in each city for two winners for a Dubai holiday tour during the DSF-2004. The co-participants will utilize the promotional tours to popularize their special packages and other offerings to the high-spending, long-staying AGCC visitors of Dubai.