The first half of the 19th edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) has seen an upswing in economic activity across diverse sectors in the emirate from retail to hospitality, automotive to entertainment and financial services, as the region's popular family extravaganza continues to further enhance Dubai's position as the summer destination of choice. With special promotions and unbeatable deals combined with world-class entertainment providing residents and visitors the opportunity to ‘Own The Summer' in Dubai, DSS has helped shopping malls and entertainment destinations like Modhesh World record sharp increases in footfall with many hotels enjoying high occupancy levels and the various retail promotions giving a boost to the fashion and consumer electronics business. DSS 2016, which commenced on 9 July, is organized by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). Running until Aug. 20, DSS offers visitors plenty of opportunities to discover why Dubai is such a great year-round family destination. Commenting on the performance of key economic sectors in the first half of DSS, Laila Mohammad Suhail, CEO of DFRE, said: "Once again, Dubai Summer Surprises proves to be an important catalyst for stimulating Dubai's economy during the summer months. Feedback we have received from stakeholders at the halfway mark just goes to show that we are on the right path in terms of supporting the retail sector and enhancing the shopping experience." "The positive indicators can also be attributed to the unique collaboration between the public and private sectors to launch innovative, tailor-made retail promotions that are aimed at both rewarding shoppers for shopping in Dubai, and encouraging more spending across sectors." DFRE's strategic partners for 2016 are: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates, AW Rostamani Group, The Dubai Mall, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Al Futtaim Group, Mercato, Paris Gallery, ENOC, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai Duty Free, Meraas and Etisalat. Modhesh World, one of the region's most popular family edutainment destinations in the summer, received 120, 000 visitors and registered an 8 % increase in revenue since it opened its doors on 27 June. This year, Modhesh World is celebrating its biggest ever edition, occupying an area of over 34,000 sq m across eight halls of Dubai World Trade Centre. Commenting on the impact of the Dubai Summer Surprises on customers, Petr Klimes, Global Head of Marketing, ADIB said: "Our participation at the Dubai Summer Surprises has been very successful and we are seeing an increase in card transactions at Dubai outlets by 20%. In addition to that, we are proud to be the exclusive banking strategic partner of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment to offer our expertise to power the Dubai Festivals app which has been very popular and helped iPhone and android users get the most out of the offers at the Dubai Shopping Festival."
