Global Village roadshows set out to boost visitor numbers

The Dubai venue, which expects to host 5.5 million guests this season, is competing with new theme parks for tourists.

Global Village in Dubai. The seasonal family destination has set its sights on 5.5 million guests next season. Victor Besa for The National

Global Village expects a modest uptick in visitors this season even as it vies with new theme parks across Dubai.

The seasonal cultural and family entertainment destination has set its sights on 5.5 million guests, up from 5.3 million visitors last season, as it aggressively courts tourists, especially from Africa and Russia.

Open until April 8, the 21st edition of Global Village has already attracted 2.3 million guests who downed 600,000 cups of karak chai to the end of last year since it opened on Nov­ember 1, up from 2.2 million guests at the end of the same period the previous season.

“A lot of tourist buses are coming, and [we] have gone on roadshows in Africa and Russia,” said Ahmad Hussain, the chief executive of Global Village in Dubai. “We will go on roadshows with Dubai Tourism to India and China this year for the next season.” There are plans for Germany and the UK as well.

During the current season, it is working with 40 tour operators in the UAE, up from 18 last season.

Located off Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, the entertainment zone is next to IMG Worlds of Adventure theme park, which opened in August. It also has increased competition from the Dubai Parks and Resorts theme parks complex off Sheikh Zayed Road.

“The value for money we offer is much higher [than the Dh15 entrance ticket],” Mr Hussain said. “Visitors can enter raffle draws and can see 40 shows a day and 12,000 shows for the season.”

The average length of stay at the park has also increased by 20 per cent during the first two months of the current season to six hours per visit.

Next season Global Village plans to open 15 new rides in its Fantasy Island play area. It currently has 30 rides that operates on a pay-as-you-ride basis. The company, a part of Dubai Holding, has teamed up with Malaysia-based Sanderson Group, a thematic design and construction company, to design the rides.

With about 3,500 shops, 100 more than last season, the value of sales remained steady during the first two months compared with the same period the previous season.

“We have a bazaar concept where the shop owner interacts with the consumer and this season we insist that the shop owners do not approach the customers [to push sales],” Mr Hussain said.

Shop owners at Global Village have to go through a bidding process to apply for outlets. The minimum bid starts at Dh60,000 for the full season, which has not changed for the past five years.

This amount will not change next season either, Mr Hussain said.

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