With Dubai affirming its position as a go-to holiday destination in the Middle East year after year, it is hard to tack down the city’s allure to one specific thing. The emirate has converted much foreign investment into its infrastructure, facilitating ease of services, and independent contractors have also spearheaded numerous awe-inspiring projects throughout the city and along its coastline. Another key aspect of drawing in foreign travellers is a diverse, constant and high-profile schedule of international events being put on in the area.
A tremendous boon for the local economy, as well as a way to promote shopping tourism to the region, the month-long Dubai Shopping Festival runs yearly, and, in 2009 alone, drew 3.35 million visitors to the city. According to the Khaleej Times, these visitors spent almost 10 billion dirham (£1.74 billion) within the 32 days of the festival. Not merely focusing on shopping and contests, the festival also showcases many dance and music acts from countries around the world, including Brazil, France, the United States and the Philippines.
For family excursions, the Dubai Summer Surprises festival promises kid-friendly events promoting fun and education over the summer months. The events are divided into ten ‘surprises’, each lasting ten days per year. With a tag line of “Big Fun for the Little Ones”, this supplement to the DSF takes place in cooler venues throughout each summer.
Another tremendous draw to the region is the Dubai International Film Festival, which purports to “lead in building cultural understanding through creative achievement in film.” The film celebrates cinema from around the globe, with particular highlights on films and filmmakers of the Middle East, though they also have screened Oscar-bait such as The Wrestler and Avatar in the past few years. The festival screens nearly 200 films over its annual week-long run in December, and has attracted audiences of around 50,000 in recent years.
Fans of racing and sport might also find what they’re looking for in Dubai, as the city offers several high-profile events in horseracing and golf throughout the year. The Dubai World Cup of horseracing awards lucrative purses to winners, and thus brings leading horses and jockeys from around the world to the Middle Eastern hotspot. In the golf world, the Dubai Desert Classic has attracted the game’s top names, counting Tiger Woods as a two-time winner of the tournament.
Music festivals have also come to prominence in the emirate, with the Dubai International Jazz Festival attracting James Morrison, David Gray and The Brand New Heavies, amongst others, for its 2010 edition, and the Dubai Desert Rock Festival bringing in Western acts such as Muse, Robert Plant, Motörhead and the Prodigy over its six-year run.
With such a diverse array of talent being showcased and celebrations taking place, flights to Dubai are in demand year-round. Any trip to Dubai will surely be remembered by visitors as a luxurious experience highlighting the finest qualities of the culture of the Middle East.
Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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