The increasing tourist inflow into the Emirati city of Dubai will more than make up for the retail traffic lost to new and upcoming malls in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, according to a senior industry official.
"While these new malls in other emirates will dilute Dubai's shopper base, tourism is increasingly becoming such an important factor for malls here," Jim Badour, general manager of Deira City Center (DCC), told the Gulf News.
"This is where government-sponsored events such as Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) really help. In fact, this is the best DSS we have had so far."
According to fugues cited by the paper, of those tourists who visited Dubai and indulged in shopping during this year's DSS, 81 percent turned up at DCC at one time or the other, making it the leading destination.
On the mall's performance during the first half, Badour said, "Our sales are steady, and there has been no significant decrease to report. In fact, we are moving ahead of what we did last year.
"Traffic, monitored on a daily basis, is up and has been helped by the addition of the City Walk and the multiplex. We have not felt any drop in retail sentiment." – Albawaba.com
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