Visa International reports success for DSF

"As one of founder sponsors of DSF, each year we are delighted to support the Dubai Shopping Festival. Together with the patronage of Dubai's government and the cooperation of the private sector, we believe that DSF is one of the principal focal points of Dubai's social and commercial calendar, providing real value to both local and regional visitors to Dubai," said Premal Patel, Head of Marketing, Visa International, Middle East.

Visa International developed an expanded programme of activities for DSF 2003, spanning across four months and eight countries. In November, Visa launched a Middle East promotion offering cardholders the chance to win one of 20 fully-paid trips for a family of four to attend the festival in Dubai.

"We are thrilled with the response that the DSF has generated to date. We anticipate that by the end of DSF 2003, Visa will have received almost double the number of entries into our Grand Raffle Draw compared with last year, making this year one of the most successful since the festival's inception in 1996," Patel added.

Visa has estimated an increase of almost 30 per cent in retail sales during the week-long holiday of Eid Al Adha, making it likely that the total number of entries for the Visa Grand Raffle Draw may exceed a figure of 600,000 by the end of DSF 2003 - representing approximately 20,000 entries a day.

"The change in festival dates from March to January was an inspired move. It ensures that this retail and entertainment focused event takes full advantage of the traditional shopping period in the region and the holiday season in key target markets of Europe, Far East, Africa and the sub-continent, and we can see the success reflected in increased retail sales and the fantastic response to our many promotional activities during the festival," Patel explained.

Last year the festival attracted 2.68 million visitors with total expenditure during DSF 2002 crossing the US$1 billion mark. Visa handled more than 2 million transactions at point of sale terminals during last year's festival, which represents around 65,000 sales transactions a day during the month of March 2002

"Shopping is the heartbeat of DSF and we believe that Visa, as the preferred payment card, is genuinely a better way to pay. Visa's promotional efforts during the Dubai Shopping Festival reflect this and our activities have been proven to greatly stimulate retail spending during this shopping highlight of the year," Patel concluded.