Dubai in Vogue
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Thursday, December 11, 2014

A Shopper’s Paradise – Dubai

Dubai is one such emirate well known for its shopping. People call this emirate as the shopper’s paradise. Shopping here is such a big deal that the emirate regularly offers unlimited choices to the shopper ranging from luxury cars to all kinds of spices, perfumes, gold and the all time favorites, Arabian souvenirs. This emirate is popularly recognized for its shopping and Dubai keep on organizing great shopping festivals time to time. Its reputation of being a shopper’s paradise is greatly enhanced because of these shopping festivals and it extends to other major aspects of the commercial life of the emirate. From the tourism and shopping point of view, Dubai attracts large number of tourists all round the year even from Indian subcontinent. The major reason behind this factor is that Dubai is an open port serving low import duties and the retail pricing of the commodities is fairly reasonable. You can easily get genuine products which are tax exempted. These are the basic factors that have led Dubai an ultimate destination for shopping.

As far as the shopping in Dubai is concerned, the best value commodities that are to be purchased from here includes gold and jewellery however, the daily items such as clothes and furniture are also affordable to a great extent. After hearing this, you might wonder that why the cost of living in Dubai is expensive then? This is because of the cost of entertainment and the rental rates. The tax free lifestyle followed in Dubai plays a vital role in each and every aspect associated with this emirate. Dubai is a collection of variety of shopping malls and some of the world’s biggest shopping malls are in Dubai. Moreover, the retail trade in Dubai all encompasses traditional souks where bargaining can be done at its best. The modernly designed shopping plazas hold these shopping festivals and this is the time when the entire emirate is busy shopping.

The very famous souk out of all is the Gold Souk in Dubai. In addition to these souks or traditional markets, there are modernly designed department stores and boutiques being constructed. Each mall in this emirate reveals an entirely different theme and you will be fascinated by the overwhelming architecture of the mall consisting of all the top brands, designer boutiques and varied variety of products ranging from cars, clothes to hi tech modern gadgets and other high end electronic stuff. As far as these shopping malls of Dubai are concerned, they offer endless choice of eating joints as well so that you can explore the true sense of shopping in Dubai.
Dubai Souks:These souks are the traditional markets restoring their historic structures. These souks although very traditional are still alive with the buzz of trade and their vibrant historic past. Shopping done at souk will get you an altogether different feel other than the shopping mall especially while shopping at night. The souk is a kind of maze of alleyways lighted up with neon lights in order to guide you through. Those looking for something really traditional and ethnic should definitely come to these souks to get a different feel. Here you will get enormous variety of goods. The most well known souks in Dubai are the Gold Souk. Times have now changed as this emirate has changed the meaning of purchasing gold. Gold Souk in Dubai offers you variety of gold products. There are about 300 retailers trading exclusively in jewellery. The souk has well established branded stores like Damas and many more. At any given time in this souk, approximately 10 tons of gold is present there. Other than this there are various other souks such as spice souks, art and craft souks, carpet souks, perfume souks and many more. These souks offer an experience which is not to be missed out.

Shopping Malls in Dubai:

Dubai has now turned into a modern emirate and a proud place where some of the world’s best and biggest shopping malls are placed. These modern shopping plazas are widely located throughout the emirate. These malls include the best of shopping brands, easting outlets and the best of office place as well. Some of the best shopping malls in Dubai are:

Deira Malls: The Deira district include the Intercontinental Plaza, Deira City Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, Al Warba Centre, Al Futtaim Centre, Abu hail Shopping Centre and many more. In Deira tower shopping mall the craftsmen have established a carpet souk where traders have come from all over the Gulf including Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan to sell this commodity.

Ibn Battuta: This shopping mall is the second largest mall in Dubai and is one shopping Centre which should not be missed by any local or foreign visitor. This mall boasts of its five unique themed shopping zones and the designing of this mall has made it an interesting place to visit. Some exclusive outlets and international chains are placed in this mall which makes a refreshing change for the shoppers in Dubai. Some of the shopping malls sell traditional Arabic gift items such as coffee pots, brass and silver swords, prayer beads and many other exclusive products.

Dubai Malls: Some of the well known Dubai malls are: Al Rais Shopping mall, Al Hana Centre, karama Centre, Al Khaleej Centre. Out of these Al Khaleej and The Holiday Centre are the two largest malls.
Normal shopping hours in Dubai starts from 9 am in the morning and extends till 1 pm and then later it starts at 4 and goes till 9 pm or later. The shopping malls might have some different timing, whereas there are shopping malls that are operational 24 hours. On Fridays the shops close down for prayers for a specified time. Another part which is fun in Dubai shopping is the art of bargaining. Dubai Duty Free has a great shopping potential and it has won many international awards and is recognized as the best in the industry for delivering and guaranteeing high quality products.