DUBAI: About 29 percent of visitors to Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2010 were Saudi nationals and this year the number was expected to increase due to the unstable conditions in some Arab countries, said Ibrahim Saleh, festival coordinator and Deputy CEO of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment which organizes the event. The Emirati official was talking to Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of a press conference at the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment headquarters this week. “After 14 years of organizing the DSS, the process has become very easy for us. We start sharing our experiences with the organizers of Jeddah Ghair Festival and Abha Tourist Festival in Saudi Arabia,” he added. The 83-day event this year, launched earlier this week under the banner “Unforgettable Summer of Dubai,” contains cartoon shows and marketing of different products at discounted prices. “We have provided different levels of hotels and furniture apartments to cater to the needs of the tourists from all over the world,” said Saleh. For the first time the DSS will continue during the holy month of Ramadan (expected to begin on Aug. 1) and Eid Al-Fitr holidays. About 40 employees have been engaged for planning and organizing of the DSS since its inception 15 years ago. One of the secrets behind the successful Summer Surprises is a company providing annual marketing studies focusing on the need of tourists and selecting the best media outlet to promote the festival. “The cooperation between public and private sectors in Dubai has been playing a vital role in making the summer festival a successful venture. Initially, we did not focus on the profits; the idea was to make Dubai an attractive location for tourists,” said Naser Hakim, Manager of Media Center of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment. According to the statistics of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, 2.4 million people visited Dubai during the last three years for the purpose of tourism and they spent about three billions dirham. “Statistics shows 85% of tourists visiting Dubai were satisfied due to the good services provided to them. We are expecting more visitors this year due to the fact that the festival runs through Ramadan and the subsequent Eid Al-Fitr holidays,” Hakim added.
