Dubai Summer Surprises, the Dubai’s biggest summer shopping and entertainment extravaganza, revealed its calendar of events for its twelfth edition in an exclusive press conference held at The Sheraton Towers, Kuwait, on Monday, June 1, 2009.

The conference was attended by Ibrahim Saleh, Coordinator General of the DSF Office, and senior officials from Emirates airline and the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

The conference is part of a comprehensive DSS road show targeting Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and includes numerous participants from Dubai’s retail, travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors.

Being organized for 65 days from June 11 to August 14 this year, Ibrahim Saleh spoke at length on the attractions of DSS 2009 through a detailed presentation. He began with the theme for DSS 2009, ‘Surprising Dubai’, saying it would incorporate all attractions of a vibrant city and those that DSS would offer including some of the best shopping deals, world-class entertainment shows, prizes worth millions, and prominent spas providing value-added spa packages for a rejuvenating experience.

‘As much as Kuwait is a neighbour, it is also a key market for DSS. I would like to invite every Kuwaiti family to Dubai during DSS 2009 to experience a world of summer festivities,’ said Saleh. Several packages and deals by DTCM and Emirates airline were also unveiled during the conference.

Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Gulf Middle East and Iran said:
‘This year, in line with DSS, Emirates has developed an incredible offer that we expect will further entice families from Kuwait to travel to Dubai. The ‘Kids Go Free’ offer recognises that the current global financial crisis has put a strain on many holiday budgets. Knowing that their child will travel, stay, eat and play for free will take a huge degree of financial pressure off the family budget and will allow families to plan a summer vacation without added financial stress.’

Talal Khalifa Al Suwaidi, DTCM Head of India, Middle East and North Africa Section at Overseas Promotions said, ‘This road show is part of our efforts in working with government and private sector entities to promote Dubai and the many attractions that it offers to visitors. Dubai received around 167,000 hotel and hotel apartment guests in addition to over 1.63 million Kuwaiti travellers through Dubai International Airport last year. Thus, Kuwait is an important market for Dubai especially due to the geographical proximity enabling thousands of visitors to take advantage of the excellent transport infrastructure and the lessened travel time.’

Opening Ceremony
Similar to all previous DSS openings, the DSS 2009 opening ceremony will combine glitz, glamour, and a host of surprises for visitors and residents. The high-profile event will see a combination of international entertainment, elaborate settings, and a preview of what DSS will offer over 65 days of non-stop summer excitement.

Signature Events
Signature Events, a series of theme-based activities and a major attraction during the summer, all conceptualized at the Dubai Shopping festival Office as original Ideas, and proved to be very popular. DSS 2009 will have nine events this year: the Sheila and Abaya Fashion (27 June – 30 June), World of Stories (12 June – 23 June), Middle East Junior Chef of the Year 2009 (8 July – 14 July), Min Bladi Al Emarat (1 July – 10 July), Arts Oasis (9 July – 15 July), Kids Fashion Week (16 Jul – 22 Jul), Kids Olympic Games (23 July – 29 July), The Collectors (27 July – 7 August), and the Photography Exhibition (6 August – 13 August). As the core entertainment segment of every DSS edition, Signature Events encapsulate the high level of entertainment offered to DSS visitors.

Other Attractions

Cool Activities at the Beach
Apart form numerous new inclusions, one particular attraction that aims to stand out this year is titled ‘Cool activities at the beach’. Activities include rain parties, barbecue nights, covered sun beds, beach spa treatments, and sea food restaurants to name a few.

Modhesh
The ever-smiling bubbly mascot of DSS celebrates ten years of non-stop excitement this year and is back in 2009 to present a host of surprises for children in Dubai. As the unmistakable face of summer fun and entertainment, Modhesh will be meeting his friends in malls and select places to hand out DSS goody bags and pose for pictures.

Modhesh World
Celebrating a decade of Modhesh in 2009, Modhesh World brings the region’s largest indoor entertainment venue to visitors and residents during this DSS. An integral part of the summer extravaganza, Modhesh World features themed-zones providing high-level of quality entertainment to children, teenagers, and families.

Spa Packages
The ‘DSS 2009 Spa Packages’ is a unique concept that allows visitors and residents to discover some of the finest spa establishments offering premium therapies and treatments at discounted rates. This happens only during summer, and this year, the Dubai Summer Surprises has collaborated with over 30 spas to provide every visitor a refreshing experience.

Apprentice Programme
The best and the brightest young minds from 9 countries spanning the MENA region will participate in this year’s award-winning DSS Apprenticeship Programme. The highly successful programme, now in its fourth year, will feature exceptional Business Administration and Marketing students from colleges in KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon and Egypt, for a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on DSS – one the biggest tourism success stories in the