Abstract
Tourism has been and continues to be an important source of income for many countries in the world. This study explores the concept of shopping in Dubai tourism and identifies the perceived important characteristics of Dubai as a shopping destination, as well as tracing the factors or the competitive advantages of Dubai as a shopping destination for Saudis tourists, who represent Dubai's main source of tourism. Shopping patterns among Saudi tourists are identified based on their frequency of shopping. A survey was used to obtain primary data that included a sample of 1 111 Saudis tourists visiting different shopping places in Dubai. The results show that Saudi tourists define Dubai as their top shopping destination because they perceive it as offering significant advantages: a wide range of impressive retail services, high-quality shopping malls, a wide variety of products and shopping venues, substantial shopping promotions and bargains, unique annual shopping festivals, the creativity of combining the shopping experience with a cluster of entertainment and leisure opportunities, and strategic location and political stability. The implications of these findings for Dubai marketing are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 66-81 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Arab World Geographer |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
Keywords
- Competitive advantage
- Dubai
- Entertainment opportunities
- Saudis tourists
- Shopping venues
- Tourism marketing
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Earth-Surface Processes