Visitor numbers at Global Village, Heritage and Diving Village, Night Souq and Carpet Oasis surpass last years' total

Record breaking visitor numbers characterise each of them as the numbers surpass the official numbers achieved in the last year.

Visitors have also been seen at the entertainment events on DSF Main Streets such as Al Riqqa, Al Muraqqabat and Al Seef Streets. The most popular destination remained the Global Village, where the number of visitors during the Eid Al Adha holiday was recorded at an all time high of 420,000 during a single day.

Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Global Village Director said, "The huge reception that the Global Village has received has matched our expectations and the efforts that have gone in reinventing the Pavilions, the improvement of the traffic systems, the layout of the Village etc."

"The number of visitors within the first three weeks has crossed the total achieved for the entire Festival last year. The last Friday saw us reaching the 3,328,000 figure, while last year the composite figure was 3,200,000 visitors. During the last week, the visitor numbers will peak yet again, taking this figure to 4,000,000 visitors," added Abdul Rahim.

"Sales at the 38 participating pavilions, restaurants, the Fun Fair Zone corresponds with the increasing numbers," adds Abdul Rahim.

On the same note, the traditional weddings and the heritage events from the Arab Countries held at the Heritage and many have also enjoyed Diving Village.

Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, Manager of the Heritage and Diving Village said, "The numbers at the Village have also surpassed all expectations. A huge number of people from different nationalities visited the Eid Al Adha celebrations at the Village, surpassing all expectations. We have received an additional 10 percent on the last year's figures within the first three weeks of the event."

Similarly, the Carpet and Souvenir Oasis received a huge number of people interested in buying hand crafted carpets. Artisans based in Iran, Iraq, India, China, Pakistan and others made these carpets.

Salah Al Naqi, Head of the Carpet and Souvenir Oasis Committee said, "The Carpet and Souvenir Oasis saw an average of 1200 visitors every day during the Festival. The numbers increased to 1450 during the Eid period. Overall, we have received above 30,000 visitors."

The Carpet Oasis is located at West Hall at the Dubai International Airport is organised by the Dubai Customs, Ports and Free Zone. The Carpet Oasis includes 85 sections, which showcase handcrafted carpets and 15 of these are dedicated purely to handcrafted souvenirs.

One of the new events started by the DSF is the Night Souq which has 72 participating stores presenting the best products and prices on clothes, gifts, electronics, accessories and others.

Waleed Al Maghrabi, Corporate Alliance Co-ordinator and Night Souq Supervisor, DSF said, "Night Souq is one of the most successful events that DSF has put together for DSF 2004. The range of products as well as the timing, open from 9:00 PM - 3:00 PM during weekends attracts most of the visitors. Featuring the best bargains available in the city, these stores enjoyed exceptional sales during the Eid Al Adha holidays. To date, 470,000 have visited the Night Souq in comparison to 424,000 received last year. We received 300,000 only for Eid Al Addha alone."

The Desert Camp, which is organised for the second time, is achieving excellent numbers as well. During the last three weeks of the Festival, the camp received big number of families totalling 58,000 people. Last year, the number of visitors during the entire DSF was 60,000 people.

Thani Al Suwaidi, Purchasing and Contracts Manager and Events Supervisor of the Desert Camp, "On an average more than 500 people visit the Desert Camp every day, most of whom are families. The bookings situation increases every day. The Desert Camp for DSF 2004, organised by the Bel Romaitha Club and sponsored by Etisalat includes an exciting schedule of events and activities for each of the different sections, such as the Ladies' section, the Men's section and the Families section. Furthermore, the Men's section includes facilities that keep different age group of men entertained and occupied, for instance separate areas for playing football, volleyball etc."

The Families section has been reinforced with an additional 35 tents, seating areas and children's play area.