Dubai: Dubai Shopping Festival’s (DSF) success has helped it attain a global position among other festivals around the world, said Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Higher Committee.
During an interview with the media centre of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, Shaikh Ahmad said that DSF was launched in 1996 and is currently in its 20th edition.
He noted that thanks to the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the festival has witnessed many developments.
“It has become an event that everyone, whether in the UAE or abroad, looks forward to. The festival is now in its 20th edition, already a success when it comes to festivals, some of which have vanished just as quickly as they have appeared,” said Shaikh Ahmad.
Shaikh Ahmad said that DSF has become an icon for festivals that brings together leisure, shopping and tourism, enhancing the role of the retail sector as an overall concept. “What distinguishes DSF is that it is a governmental initiative that is backed by the private sector, giving it unique attributes and making it a unique concept. It has witnessed many developments over the past two decades to keep abreast with the progress achieved by Dubai throughout those years, as the emirate has become a key player in the global economy. The emirate is now a global hub in various economic sectors, such as aviation and logistic services,” added Shaikh Ahmad.
“If music is a universal language, then we can also say that DSF has invented a new language, one that communicates to every nationality, segment and age group, and this language was warmly received on the local, regional and global level.
“Anyone who has been following the festival for the past 20 years can see that the event is a pioneer in achieving the objectives of the vision of Shaikh Mohammad, which is to enhance the performance of the retail sector, as well as encourage the shopping movement and creativity in launching promotional and sales campaigns that attracted millions of shoppers from around the world,” said Shaikh Ahmad.
