Stage set for biggest ever Global Village

Global Village is being jointly produced and managed by Dubai Shopping Festival and the Al-Futtaim Group, which is the owner and developer of Dubai Festival City, the 'city-within-a-city' being built on the banks of Dubai Creek.

At a press conference and tour of the site, Global Village officials also announced that every half-millionth visitor to the colourful entertainment extravaganza will be rewarded.

'During last year's Global Village we received an average of 75,000 visitors a day,' explained Alan Gordon, General Manager, Global Village. 'This year we anticipate even bigger numbers with the event running over a two-week school holiday in January and over Eid Al Adha in February. We wanted to do something special to mark each 500,000th visitor.'

Global Village staff equipped with footfall recorders will monitor visitor numbers. Every time the half-million visitor point is reached, the visitor will receive a high value prize courtesy of Bin Hendi Enterprises.

'If we reach the three million mark, the visitor will receive an extra-special prize.'

Infrastructure, facilities, access and parking at the Creekside entertainment spectacular have been improved for 2003 to cope with anticipated visitor numbers.

Alongside a 30% increase in the number of car parking spaces and additional access points from Al Rebat Road, the 32-day 'window-on-the-world' will feature some unusual shuttle services for visitors.

'It's a big car park and because of that, we have a dedicated shuttle route to take visitors to the Global Village entrance. There will be road trains, a double-decker tram and horse-drawn carriages to ferry visitors to-and-from the car parking area,' explained Gordon.

'These improvements were essential to cope with increasing visitor numbers. To put it into perspective, one of the UK's leading tourist attractions, the Tower of London, has almost 2.8 million visitors a year - we are expecting close to that in just one month!'

Within the zoned Global Village parking lots there will also be a dedicated closed circuit lane to cater to large families and the elderly, as well as a designated pre-paid area near to the venue, which will hold 1,400 vehicles. In addition, there are provisions for a helipad at the rear of the Global Village that can be used in emergencies.

Global Village has launched the pre-paid parking scheme from which five Dubai schools for the physically and mentally challenged will benefit. The pre-paid package costs Dhs 500. It gives buyers an electronic card with unlimited access to the exclusive car park for the entire 32 days. A percentage of the revenue will be split between the five schools.

This year the Global Village will host a record 31 pavilions including a specialist International Jewellery Court pavilion.

'Other new pavilions include Afghanistan, Cyprus, Indonesia, Libya and Singapore,' said Gordon.

All the pavilions are competing for Global Village Awards, a scheme developed by the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Festival City.

'The awards will go to the best displays across a number of categories including, Best Pavilion, Best Heritage Pavilion and Best Pavilion For Cultural Activities,' said Gordon.

The Global Village fun fair will also be the biggest ever - almost twice as big as 2002 with double the number of rides.

Spanning 28,430 square metres, the fun fair, billed as the biggest ever seen in Dubai, will have 52 rides and 45 skill games and feature a go-kart track.

'The mix of rides and games has been designed to ensure the fun fair is a true family entertainment destination. All ages and nationalities will find something that appeals to them,' said Gordon.

HB Leisure, one of the UK's top fun fair organisers, chartered space on two ships to bring all the attractions to Dubai, including the largest ferris wheel ever seen in the emirate.

Global Village 2003 will also feature its largest-ever number of restaurants.

'With over 60 restaurants, visitors will have the chance to taste many traditional dishes and delicacies from around the world,' said Gordon.

Also new at Global Village 2003 is a dedicated play area within the enhanced food court where parents can relax and watch their children enjoy the games and activities on offer.

An action-packed entertainment schedule, which includes street performers from around the world, has also been drawn up for Global Village 2003.

'Together with the DSF and the Pavilion organizers, International entertainers and acts will perform various music and drama works reflecting their own cultures and traditions,' said Gordon. 'Visitors will be able to experience the entertainment at new and additional locations throughout Global Village.'

Global Village 2003 will also have an extended opening time with the attractions operating from 2pm until 1am during the week and from 2pm until 2am at weekends (Wednesdays and Thursdays).

Mondays have been designated as Ladies Day at the Global Village. Girls of any age and boys up to the age of 10 will be allowed in on Ladies Day when accompanied by their mother or a female guardian. Family days will be Saturdays and Tuesdays.

Global Village has also launched its first-ever guide containing over 100 pages of essential information on the attraction in a handy booklet form.

In addition, Global Village is to get its first radio station, thanks to a unique partnership with the American University in Dubai (AUD). Students from AUD will present programmes from a dedicated studio within the village.

The Global Village, located near to Garhoud Bridge, is being permanently hosted by Dubai Festival City, a key sponsor of the Dubai Shopping Festival.

As part of its commitment to Global Village 2003, Dubai Festival City has introduced a more 'permanent' feel to the site. The area has been landscaped with trees and plants and additional seating has been installed.

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