Global Village marks a successful 13th season with 4.4 million visitors

Commenting on Global Village's final attendance figures, Abdul Redha Ali bin Redha, Project Director said:

"We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the 13th edition of Global Village, during which we welcomed an extraordinary 4.4 million visitors. Our strategy this year was to enhance our entertainment offering and increase the quality of services and facilities. While the global economic downturn could have posed a threat to this strategy, it is clear that the improvements to entertainment and services resonated with our visitors, given our strong attendance numbers."

Abdul Redha also affirmed that the number of visitors in a single day reached its highest on Friday, February 13, 2009, with a record 148,000 visitors.

Global Village hosted several popular new attractions this season that were an enormous draw for guest including the 'Guinness World Records' pavilion, the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East. The pavilion welcomed tens of thousands of participants who attempted to break and make records. Additional highlights of the event included the new Beach Adrenaline Jet-Ski Show, which featured breathtaking performances from an international team of jet-ski champions, and the Skywheel Stunt Show which thrilled guests with heart-stopping stunts and illusions.

Global Village was the preferred destination for kids this season and the introduction of internationally renowned children's characters, Barney TM, Thomas the Tank Engine TM, Bob the Builder TM, Pingu TM the Penguin and the UAE's very own Freej at the "Friends from The Little Big Club" attracted thousands of children each day.

Global Village went "green" this season by participating in numerous environmental projects. The team at Global Village supported "Clean-Up UAE Day" by organizing a large scale waste removal project with over 50 volunteers.

Additionally, in cooperation with Emirates Environmental Group and Dulsco, a leading regional waste management specialists company, Global Village identified 11 collection points in the park to ensure that environmentally sustainable practices were applied. Around 80 tons of waste was recycled.

Global Village occupied 4 million square feet for its 13th edition with an additional 6 million square feet of car parking. Around 10,000 full-time and part-time employees worked round-the-clock to ensure the seamless operation of the park while nearly 100 security personnel were deployed throughout the venue over 102 days.