Dubai: First-time visitors to Dubai, as well as residents, are taking advantage of the Dubai Shopping Festival to enjoy their favourite pastimes. We asked them to narrow down their long lists to five things, which they plan to enjoy in one busy day of fun.
Tourists:
Karuna Suraj, American
1. Spice Souq. Go souvenir hunting as many of the traditional shops have a wide range of souvenirs, besides the spices.
2. Dubai Museum. I want to know what Dubai was like before.
3. Madinat Jumeirah. Shops there have a nice collection of clothes.
4. Meena Bazar. It’s the place for snacks, besides the fabrics and textiles on sale
5. Global Village. It looks beautiful and I want to go see it.
Nicklas Wiik, 36, Finnish
1. Jumeirah Beach. It is lovely even in the winter.
2. Burj Khalifa. It has to be on my sightseeing list.
3. Spice Souq. I want to have a look, maybe shop as well.
4. Desert safari. I’ve heard a lot about it; it’s a very Dubai thing to do.
5. Dubai Mall. It’s the place for shopping.
Pascal Geiser, 34, Swiss
1. Burj Khalifa. It’s very important for sightseeing
2. Burj Al Arab. It’s so iconic, I can’t imagine Dubai without it.
3. Dubai Mall. Mainly for shopping.
4. Lost Chambers, Atlantis, The Palm. I’ve never been and the underwater feel to it sounds amazing.
5. Arabic restaurant. Anywhere that serves good, authentic Arabic food is fine with me.
Residents:
Layan Samir, 19, Spanish, University student
1. I would go to Dubai Mall to enjoy the offers and discounts in different stores, especially jewellery shops like Pandora.
2. I would head out to other malls such as Mirdif City Centre, Diera City Centre and Mall of the Emirates to compare offers and do some more shopping.
3. I would then head to Outlet Mall and take a quick look around for bargains.
4. I would end the day by visiting JBR to enjoy the weather at the beachfront market.
5. Then head to Global Village to enjoy the different cultures and eat some traditional desserts.
Venicia Vessoaker, Indian, Senior Account Manager
• Dubai Mall – Would love to catch the Fashion on Ice show.
• Saks Fifth Avenue – Don’t want to miss out on the super duper sales.
• Gold Souq - Grab the deals there.
• Street Plays – A perfect time to watch some really good talent and entertainment.
• Fireworks – Always a pleasure to see amazing fireworks. Dubai does put up some seriously awesome fireworks displays.
Razan Breiwish, 21, Palestinian
- Dubai Mall: I would spend a few hours of my day at the largest mall in the world because it has a large selection of stores,
- Global Village: I would spend my evening enjoying the diversity of cultures and trying out some traditional desserts.
- Outside the Box and Ripe Market: It’s a good time to enjoy the outdoors and try out some organic foods.
- IKEA: I wouldn’t miss the IKEA sale because it’s the best place for furniture.
- Mirdif City Centre: I would check out the sales at Mirdif City Centre because the layout of the mall is practical and not too crowded
