DSF 2012: And so it begins...

DSF 2012: And so it begins…

Dubai At Its Best-is the theme of DSF 2012. Interesting slogan, considering the bad rep Dubai has for its overambitious debt laden status post 2009, thinks Kipp.

January 4, 2012 3:45 by p.deleon

The Dubai Shopping Festival opens today (5th Jan). This year marks the 17 installment of the yearly celebration of consumerism-and boy has it come along way. In its first year DSF boasted of attracting 1.6 million visitors who spent Dh2.15 billion; skip forward to 2006, when the festival attracted 3.5 million who spent Dh10.2 billion.

Which is pretty impressive increment-but judging from the responses we got to our Facebook Question: “Looking forward to the DSF? Yay or Nay?” not everyone is waiting eagerly for the festival.

Consider this comment from friend of Kipp:

Kate Mullen: That’s a resounding Nay from this corner, it needs a massive overhaul… My list is too long, too negative – having lived through every since DSF – I can say that they are nothing like they used to be – the offers aren’t as strong, the activities are too widespread – DSF has become too ‘posh’ IMHO, and don’t get me started on the GV!” (Global Village)

We’d like to say we are surprised, but that the DSF has lost its glamour factor is something of a no brainer. Last year when we asked our reader ‘will you be hitting the shops during the Dubai Shopping Festival?’, and only half of our respondents replied in the affirmative: the rest were split between ‘No, it is a con,’ ‘yes, but only because I have to,” and “No, I’ll be too busy”, while a chunky 26 percent sat on the fence saying “maybe if the price is right.” That’s probably a no then, thinks Kipp.

And yet this year’s theme for the DSF is, drum roll please, Dubai at its Best. Interesting slogan considering the bad rep Dubai has for its overambitious debt ladden status, Kipp thinks. It doesn’t take a keen observer of current affairs to known that Dubai post 2009, really isn’t at its best. We can’t help wonder what would you say is Dubai at its best? If indeed there is such a thing? WOuld Dubai at its best be, pre-recession Dubai of 2006? Not really, the city was begining to resemble a massive construction site with cranes and construction workers covering the city. Perhaps 1996? Before Dubai turned into consumerism on steroids? What do you think?

Tags: DSF, dubai bargains, dubai shopping, Dubai Shopping festival, shopping

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3 Comments

Tarek Aziz on January 4, 2012 4:58 pm

People in the GCC already know the con job of DSF for many years now. The only people who will come again and spend are the gullible Indians knowing fully well that all that they purchase in Dubai at high prices is also available back home. Good for the organisers and traders in Dubai., – Make hay while the sun (still) shines.
JP on January 8, 2012 2:43 pm

In other countries where similar international brands are present, the sales are simply known as the January sales, with the same goods from previous seasons knocked down to the prices they should have been in the first place. Dress it up and call it a festival if you will. Or am I just cynical and too broke to enjoy it?
Andrew on January 9, 2012 11:10 am

The first few shopping festivals were notorious for fraud, bumping up the price just prior and then knocking it back down to the original price. That said, the first few also brought in some new things – and for what was then a much quieter UAE – that were a welcome change.

These days DSF doesn’t even register. I don’t even remember it exists unless someone brings it up.