Tourism Drop Hits Sharjah

Sharjah has chalked out its own agenda to woo tourists, with attractive packages to promote the emirate as a destination for families, during the Sharjah Spring Promotion starting January 15.

With concerns of a decline in tourism and the DSF expected to attract a major share of tourists to Dubai, hotels in Sharjah are feeling the pinch of the financial downturn.

The hotels now are working with the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) to provide fresh incentives to tourists.

Many hotels in Sharjah are teaming up with Air Arabia, the budget airline of Sharjah, to provide packages for the Sharjah Spring Promotion. However, details of the packages have not been disclosed yet.

The promotions, to run for a period of 40 days, will include activities at Al Qasba and in Al Budayr region, beach events, and marketing fairs and exhibitions. The promotion aims at boosting tourism in the emirate, especially in the high season of January-February.

Officials at the SCCI said there was a need to pep up Sharjah’s marketing and promotional campaigns for the coming year. Meanwhile, the standard room rates at the Millennium Hotel in Sharjah stand at Dh750 net for a single room and Dh800 net for a double room, both inclusive of breakfast and taxes.

“We are flexible in our rates. We are trying to work with the local authorities to portray Sharjah as a leisure market and increase the inflow of tourists from the GCC and European countries,” said Sherif Ezzat, Acting General Manager of the Millennium Hotel Sharjah.

The Coral Beach Hotel, located on the private beach between the corniche of Sharjah and Ajman, will roll out a promotion that will allow visitors to stay for three nights at the rates for two…SOURCE

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Dubai Shopping Festival is Coming, But Will It Be Doomed By the Economic Downturn?

With just a fortnight to go, the mother of all shopping festivals — the Dubai Shopping Festival 2009 (DSF) — is coming back to town.

Scheduled to begin on January 15, the 14^th edition of the DSF is set to open at a time of global financial turmoil, but the organisers say DSF 2009 will deliver.

Dubai looks her best during the DSF when every nook and corner of the city is lit up with over a million lights and colourful decorations.

Over 3.2 million people visited DSF 2008 with the expenditure touching Dh10 billion.

The participating retail outlets of the DSF and the various shopping malls are expecting a windfall. With the December sale already in session at the various retail outlets across the city, products are being sold at discounts of over 70 per cent.

Though they have not yet announced the promotional offers for the season, retail outlets have pledged their entire support to the DSFO (Dubai Shopping Festival Office) by lining up attractive discounts and raffle draws to lure the crowds into the shopping malls and retail outlets.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman of Dubai Shopping Festival Office (DSFO) Supreme Committee said the UAE economy is robust enough to ride out the current difficulties and continue to achieve good economic growth rates.

“There is a tireless endeavour to tackle the economic turmoil and hold events that can contribute to reviving several economic sectors, primarily retail trade and tourism,” he said.

“This year’s edition of DSF comes at a time when the entire world is experiencing an acute period of economic crisis with a number of leading world economies having drifted into economic recession.”

He stressed on the importance of strong partnership between the private and public sectors…SOURCE

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Planning committee unveils Shopping Festival plans

11/23/2008 12:18 AM | Staff Report

Dubai: The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) organising committee held its first meeting for DSF 2009 last

Thursday at Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport.

The 14th edition of the festival will begin on January 15 and continue until February 15.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, and Jamal Al Hai, Vice President of Strategy, Dubai Airports, welcomed the committee at Terminal 3. The meeting was presided over by Ebrahim Saleh, Coordinator General of the DSF Office, in addition to a host of government dignitaries and officials who comprise the committee.

Three new government departments have joined the committee this year -Community Development Authority, Dubai Sports Council, and Dubai Event Management Corporation – taking the number of departments represented in the DSF Organising Committee to 21.

The gathering was briefed on the outlines of the upcoming DSF edition, and plans to ensure the smooth functioning of DSF 2009 were also discussed. Saleh began by thanking the government representatives for their support for DSF and their continued contribution in promoting Dubai as a leading global city.

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