Hectic preparations at Global Village - first visitors to arrive on Thursday

Visitors to the Village will be able to see the distinct changes made to the layout and the presentation of the pavilions, which are being given the finishing touches to reflect the landmark and heritage buildings of their respective countries.

The Global Village spans a total area of 170,000 sq metres including the areas allocated for the parking, the Fun Fair, the Jewellery Court, the Zone dedicated to Dubai Education Zone, amongst others.

Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Global Village Director, said, 'The Global Village has a unique status in the Dubai Shopping Festival, as one of the destinations that attracts millions of visitors from different age groups and nationalities.

'Like every year, the Global Village has seen several new enhancements and will also feature various new pavilions. Preparations are underway to give the facilities available at the Global Village a completely new look. Even the network of streets and walkways being developed within the Village are several times wider to facilitate easier access between the pavilions.

'Plans are also being implemented to ease the traffic situation from the entrance and the parking lot as well.

'Many improvements have been made to provide easier accessibility to the Global Village.'

A dedicated entrance has been arranged for public transport facilities such as taxis, buses and trucks, which can directly download stocks to the individual pavilions. A special entrance has also been created for private cars.

Abdul Rahim also said that the expansion of the Global Village parking area would accommodate an additional 2000 cars taking the total upto 13,000 cars. Free shuttle service will be available from the parking area to the entrances and mini trains will ply between the parking area to the Village.

Several enhancements have also been made to the public utilities available at the Village. Special prayer rooms and security arrangements have also been made through the Civil Defence Zone. Additionally, the Village also has communication infrastructure such as Internet Access, telephones etc. ATMS and Postal service have also been provided.

Global Village will incorporate a variety of different restaurants featuring international cuisine. This year, several large internationally renowned coffee chains also make an appearance at the Village. The Food Court has been given allocated to a separate section of the Village.

The Fun Fair, which occupies a total of 22,000 square meters in the Global Village, is one of the largest in the world, featuring 120 different games and rides, specially being introduced to the audience in the Middle East for the very first time.

Alan Gordon, Director (Special Projects), Dubai Festival City said, 'The phased construction of the Global Village is well within the schedule. Dubai Festival City has allocated several man-hours to the project, in order to provide several creative inputs to the blue print of the site. Visitors will be able to perceive the enhancements and changes to the layout as well as the facilities.'

The Village will feature Family Days on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. On Mondays, the Village will be open only for Ladies, while Thursdays and Fridays will be open for all visitors.

Additionally, the Global Village Stage, located near the daily raffle draw area will feature seating capacity for a huge audience.

Global Village 2004 will be jointly produced and managed by DSF and the Al-Futtaim Group, the owner/developer of Dubai Festival City.