The United Arab Emirates is looking to leverage the growing interest of Ghanaians in Dubai as it gears up for the 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival.
“Dubai is open and ready,” reps from Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) declared in an engagement with selected media persons in Ghana.
Dubai Tourism is leveraging the changing perceptions of Dubai ahead of the Festival which will run from 26 December 2019 to 1 February 2020 by engaging Ghanaians on the leisure and business opportunities in the middle east country.
Ghana provided about 13.5 million visitors to Dubai in 2019, the sixth most from Africa.
Ghana among primary markets from Africa alongside Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Angola and Zambia.
Africa contributed six per cent to the UAE’s tourism volumes in the first ten months of 2019.
The middle east country views this as a testament to the success of Dubai’s market diversification strategies, ongoing strategic trade partnerships, bespoke integrated marketing campaigns, always-on social media activations and the diverse portfolio of attractions that continue to experience sustained interest amongst travellers.
Nigeria emerged as the region’s lead contributor and the fastest growing market with a stellar 34 per cent increase in tourist arrivals, cementing its position as the 16th largest source market for travellers to Dubai.
The Dubai Shopping Festival is noted as the world’s longest-running shopping festival of its kind with audiences across Ghana, Kenya and Uganda
Dubai Tourism marked the countdown to the landmark 25th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), with a three-city media roadshow across Africa.
The 38-day festival is set to feature show-stopping performances, immersive experiences, innovative brand activations and family-friendly celebrations from Thursday, 26 December 2019 and run until Saturday, 1 February 2020.
Shoppers and deal-hunters can find offers of up to 75 per cent off across close to 4,000 outlets of more than 1,000 participating brands and have the opportunity to engage and collaborate with tailor-made brand activations from global fashion, beauty, homeware and lifestyle retailers.
Commenting on the events, Salim Ali Mohamed Dahman, Head of Campaigns – Africa at Dubai Tourism, said:
“Dubai continues to rank among the most popular destinations for audiences from across Africa, particularly as we observe retail emerging as a key component of their travel experiences, buoyed by flagship events such as Dubai Shopping Festival. To further foster growth from across the African continent, we will continue to leverage our multi-layered marketing strategy to deliver specialised communications programming and bespoke experiences that can bolster Dubai’s world-class shopping credentials.”
Dubai Tourism is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector.
It markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents.
Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Business Events, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.