DUBAI // The biggest malls in Dubai have extended their shopping hours to accommodate the influx of tourists from Saudi Arabia expected during the country’s midterm school holidays.
The academic midyear holidays in the kingdom generally start in the middle of January with the resumption of lessons in the first week of February.
Starting on Thursday until the end of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) on February 2, shops at Dubai Mall will be open daily from 10am to 2am, and food outlets until 3am.
The Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, Mirdif City Centre and Dubai Festival City Mall will extend opening hours from 10am to 1am during weekdays, and will stay open to 2am on weekends.
Food outlets at these four malls will be open for an extra hour after shops close.
The new hours will mark a departure from the normal, 12-hour mall shopping hours of 10am to 10pm.
Laila Mohammed Suhail, chief executive of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said the city was trying to enhance the shopping experience for tourists.
The extended mall hours will be a boost for the retail sector, which has enjoyed high sales every year during the festival.
In 2012, DSF attracted 3.4 million visitors to the city who spent a total of Dh7.14 billion. There are 70 malls and more than 6,000 retail outlets across Dubai.
malkhan@thenational.ae
