DSF celebrates 10th year with five new members making the sponsors number all-time high

Sheikh Ahmed expressed his sincere gratitude to all those supporting the festival from day one, plus those who joined in between and the newcomers who recently came on board. "I would like to welcome new members of the DSF family for this 10th year of the festival. Please welcome: Dubailand; A.A Al Moosa Enterprises; Damac Properties, Axiom Telecom, and Freij Entertainment," he said.

"The impressive list of Key Sponsors and Patrons include; Dubai Duty Free, Paris Gallery, Spinneys, Al Rostamani Group; BurJuman; Emaar Properties, ETISALAT, the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation; Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group, Mashreqbank and Al Habtoor Group," said Sheikh Ahmed adding, "We cannot forget the contribution of our earlier sponsors including Abdul Rahim Mohammed Abulghozooz Al Zarooni (Mercato); Al Futtaim; Majid Al Futtaim Investments; Dubai Refreshments (Pepsi Cola International Company); Emirates airline; Emirates Bank; ENOC-EPPCO Group; Jumbo and Visa International."

"At the outset let us acknowledge the efforts put in by everyone involved in making the DSF a major success over the years. This wouldn't have been possible without the trust and support of our key sponsors and patrons who have been associated with us from day one. I take this opportunity to thank them all for their co-operation and hard work that has become synonymous with the DSF success story," he said.

"Under the wise direction of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the country has not only succeeded in attracting global visitors in their hordes but also investors who are more than willing to make UAE the hub of their business activities, thanks to worldclass events organized in the emirate which has set a high standard of business development over the years and has become a role model for others in the economic and development fields," informed Sheikh Ahmed.

"Led by the Dubai Shopping Festival, the emirate is now the epicenter of top international events. The DSF is playing a pioneering role in organizing major activities by following the common goal of the country which aims at making tourism an strong engine of economic development," he said.

"The Dubai Shopping Festival, is no doubt a powerful device in implementing the future vision of the emirate under the directives of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and the UAE Defence Minister. This important annual event goes hand-in-hand with Dubai's strategic target of transferring the emirate into an international tourism destination which is set to attract 15 million tourists by the year 2010. The Shopping Festival aims to play a major role in achieving this significant goal by staging one of the most spectacular events pulling in the world audience," he added.

"Undoubtedly, the DSF is an excellent example of an executor of the Government's strategic policy of establishing a strong partnership and co-operation between the public and private sectors in the country. In the last nine years of its existence, the DSF has managed to live up to its expectations of making a great success of a worldclass event that appeals to everyone across the cultural barrier," he said.

"It's a great feeling that we are entering the 10th year of the Dubai Shopping Festival and based on our last nine years of experience of handling this mammoth event, the organizing committee, I am sure, is now better equipped to make this festival a ultimate success. The DSF is also encouraging the participation of different economic and cultural groups while appealing to the multinational community that gets an opportunity to mix and interact in this oasis of communal harmony," said Sheikh Ahmed.

"We also take pride in the fact that the DSF has managed to fill in the gap between the tourism and economic sectors by bringing them together on a common platform of serving the visitor and the investor at the same time. No wonder the DSF has now become a well-known brand that not only promotes Dubai as a tourist haven but also caters to both local and international companies in the growth of their business activities," he informed.

In his speech Saeed Mohammed Al Nabouda, Chief Executive Officer, DSF, briefly reminded the gathering of the remarkable results of the last festival. The DSF 2004 witnessed a six per cent increase in the number of tourists as the emirate welcomed more than 3.1 million visitors compared to 2.92 million in 2003. The DSF is now nine years old and has been constantly showing an upward spiral in its amazing growth rate. Compared to its first year, the number of visitors to the DSF 2004 has almost doubled, registering a phenomenal increase of 93 per cent while generating business of a whopping Dh5.80 billion - a rise of more than 13.28 per cent compared to Dh5.12 billion in 2003. Overall, the last festival's business growth figures were higher by a massive 169 per cent in direct comparison to the very first festival of 1996.

Said Al Nabouda: "The organizing committee is proud to announce the collaboration of 24 leading local and international companies and organizations who are committed to support the 10th DSF thus making the number of key sponsors and patrons highest in the history of the festival. This notable increase in the list of key sponsors over the years demonstrate the trust they place in the event. As DSF is getting closer, we, the organizing committee members, will spare no efforts in creating a unique and exclusive event because all we believe in is taking the festival to greater heights."

He highlighted the fact that the continued backing of these companies has fuelled the organizing committee's conviction in making the DSF an appealing option for all and sundry. "The excellent results coming in from the tourism and economic sectors are all too transparent and speak volumes of the astounding success rate achieved all along in the country," he said.

The month-long DSF 2005 starts on January 12 and runs until February 12 but the new Global Village in Dubailand will enthrall visitors until March 31.