Modhesh is back on Dubai’s streets, announcing the start of the Dubai Summer Surprises. Will you be spending during the sales this year?
The results are in.
June 21, 2009 10:54 by Dana El Baltaji
It’s bad enough that Dubai’s summer heat feels like a personal assault, but add almost 10 weeks of Modhesh and his eternal ray of annoyance, and we have to cry foul. Dubai’s summers are difficult, there’s no question about it.
But with Modhesh and the heat comes the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), which began on June 11 and runs until August 14. This year, the theme is ‘Surprising Dubai’.
Unfortunately, most of Kipp’s readers aren’t surprised at all by either DSS or Dubai. The majority of respondents to our poll, 64 percent, said that the shopping festival is “all hype and no substance.” Meanwhile, the second largest majority, 24 percent, asked “Are you kidding? Have you forgotten the crisis?”
No, we haven’t, and neither has Dubai.
According to data released by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), occupancy rates for hotels in Dubai fell to 73 percent in the first quarter of 2009, compared to almost 90 percent during the same period in 2008.
In early June, the DTCM asked hotels to reduce their room rates by up to 50 percent in a bid to attract tourists during the emirate’s scorching summer.
The government’s efforts, however, don’t seem to be paying off as well as they should: only 9 percent of respondents claimed they will be taking advantage of the discounts and special offers.
And finally, 3 percent said “it’s too hot to go shopping now.”
We hear you.
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1 Comment
Well i think Dubaians are just used to complaining about everything!!!
a) for the ppl who said its too hot to go shopping now: i dont get it, do u shop in a street i never heard of?? arent all malls temp controlled? do u remember when u last went to the mall and shopped? im guessing last weekend, and i bet u bought something on discount.
b) for the 24% who are talking about the crisis, well you are still in dubai, the rents are down, even food is getting cheaper, so you have more disposable income. WHAT CRISIS!!! the festival is mainly about discounts! u will never find electronics, or clothes this cheap!
c)all hype no substance: well here you might have a point as most of the events are for kids, or are not announced properly. however we have to admit that the malls are more crowded, and there are always activities happening there… these activities might not interest us since we are always in a rush and dont have time to stop, but they are there.
d) i was surprised that not many are taking advantage of the discounts.
most of the ppl i know spend most their salaries in the first 2 weeks. the malls are packed with shoppers, the shops look as if theyve been hit by a hurricane.
for all the Dubaians spreading negative energy around, with the constant nagging about everything…even good discounts… stop for a second and think if uve benefited from any of the sales or stopped to watch any of the shows in the malls. now whats ur answer to that questions….
love
hippo crit