December 20 saw start of the Gulf’s leading retail event, the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), which will run until February 2. Retailing is now clearly part of Dubai’s overall strategy to promote tourism. The DSF, which was created in 1996 by the government, has been developed into a comprehensive tourist product, with state carrier Emirates offering packages for foreign shoppers. (This year, as part of its entertainment program, the DSF will also include performances by Cirque du Soleil.) The other main shopping festival is the Dubai Summer Surprises. This year, more emphasis was put on the summer festival given that the 2006 edition of the DSF was cancelled following the death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. The festival drew 1.51million visitors, primarily from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. These two festivals allow retailers to make roughly 50% of their turnover. Dubai expects 15 million tourists a year by 2010,
