Overview

Dubai is the second largest state and the main port and commercial center of UAE. Situated on the two banks of Dubai Creek, Dubai has become one of the sought after tourists' destinations of the world. It is the place wherein beaches, deserts and bustling city life are all around. With the Dubai government's substantial intervention on industrial and commercial development, international investment and tourism, the city has turned to be one of the leading trading centers. With many skyscrapers and luminous offices rising up on the banks of the Creek it's said that Dubai's evolution is dramatic which actually began in the year 1960. Now Dubai houses some of the best hotels and restaurants, parks and gardens and a fairly good number of software companies (Yatra.com, 2009).

Shopping in Dubai is an experience in itself, especially during the festival days. Internationally acclaimed branded clothes, accessories and other goods at throw-away prices, a fun-filled ambiance where shopping, entertainment and culture from nations across the world are skillfully blended together and amazing discounts in just about everything – right from accommodation and air fares to the discounts at the shopping centers themselves – all combine to make Dubai an irresistible shopper's paradise. Shopping is a kind of national past time of people of the UAE. Moreover, apart from Dubai property, shopping is also a major attraction for tourists coming here. Earlier, there was the trend of doing shopping from traditional souks there, but now the glitzy and glamorous malls have replaced the fact (Dubai Travelogue, 2009).

One of the things that make Dubai a great place to go shopping is the fact that it is a duty-free port that low or mostly no duties or tariffs imposed on foreign products. For the bargain hunter it is a field teeming with game so thick that even taking aim is superfluous. In addition, credit cards can be used to withdraw money from ATMs in shopping centers across Dubai -a benefit that eliminates the hassles of going to banks to obtain cash (Guide2dubai.com, 2009).

These malls in Dubai are very well designed. These are a part of the great architecture and effort involved by well known real estate developers. The total spending at shopping malls last summer exceeded Dh1 billion, according to the Dubai Shopping Malls Group, which represents more than 30 malls in the emirate (Paul, 2009).Dubai's position as the fourth-most dominant retail city in the world is the result of concerted efforts on the part of the retail sector and events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises to offer value-added promotions on leading international brands (Dubaicityguide.com, 2009). Many of these malls have become destinations in themselves, with attractions ranging from indoor entertainment complexes, food courts, play areas, clustered retail areas, attached hotels, cinema complexes, coffee shops, indoor ski facilities to a large aquarium (Paul, 2009). As far as the prices in the mall are concerned, they are generally competitive.