Dubai’s festivals are leading the emirate’s recreation sector growth, says KEITH J FERNANDEZ, providing a view of what’s on offer this DSS
DESPITE having been started as merely an attempt to revitalise the retail trade in the lean summer season, the Dubai Summer Surprises has, with its sister DSF event, turned into one of the engines leading the phenomenal growth of the emirate’s recreation sector.

Said Saeed Al Nabouda, DSS CEO, “The DSS, with the Modhesh Fun City at its epicentre, is one of the earliest amusement events in the region, and has significantly contributed to the growth of Dubai’s recreation and tourism sectors by attracting a large number of visitors from around the world.”
Of the 6.1 million people checking into commercial lodgings in 2005, of which 1.51 million arrived during the three-month-long DSS, and 3.3 million during the DSF 2005. The emirate’s hotels recorded a revenue of Dh8.1 million ($2.2 billion) last year.
It is numbers such as those that have spurred an investment of more than Dh37 billion a year in the recreation sector, an annual growth of 27 per cent, according to the DSS committee.
And as these projects are completed, the festival offices plan events around them, particularly in shopping malls and leisure centres. “DSS constantly strives to present fresh and innovative ideas to keep the visitor interest alive with new and different entertainment activities each year. The recreation projects under construction which will be completed in the next few years will help make Dubai as an ideal family destination. Tourism experts believe that boosting family tourism will prove to be very fruitful for the growth of the emirate’s tourism,” said Laila Suhail, DSS executive project director.
Typically this year, Dubai’s shopping malls are where most of the action is, for shoppers and visitors, especially children, the target group of DSS.