With Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) celebrating its 20th anniversary edition this year, Etisalat, the Middle Easts leading telecommunications operator, has announced it has become a Strategic Partner of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), and organisers of DSF.

As a result of this partnership, Etisalat will extend its support at each of DFREs year-round calendar of events in 2015, starting with DSF in January and spanning through Dubai Food Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises, Ramadan in Dubai, Eid in Dubai and Dubai Motor Festival. Etisalat is now part of DFREs list of regional and international Strategic Partners.

We are pleased to welcome Etisalat to our growing family of Strategic Partners, Key Sponsors and supporters. The partnership comes at a time when we are celebrating DSFs landmark 20th anniversary edition. And as we rigorously channel all our efforts towards cementing Dubais position as a top family tourism destination, we are now stepping into a new era of cooperation between the public and private sectors to ensure the success of our full year-round calendar of festivals, said Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO, DFRE.

The support we receive from Etisalat will truly contribute to our long-term plans to continue positioning Dubai as one of the leading destinations for leisure and business. This will be in addition to all the special promotions organized by Etisalat, which are aimed at attracting an even higher number of customers, including millions of visitors from the region and abroad, who come to Dubai during DSF, she added.

Etisalats CEO, Saleh Al Abdouli, said: Etisalats Strategic Partnership with DFRE serves to showcase our commitment to not only support the 20th milestone edition of DSF, but also other mega events and festivals that play a crucial role in strengthening both the tourism and retail sectors of Dubais thriving economy. DSF has paved the way for a truly world-class shopping experience in Dubai attracting millions of visitors from various parts of the world. And we are delighted to extend our support to DSF events that will be of great interest to our participating customers. Keeping this in mind, Etisalat has rolled out a number of innovative concepts and entertainment programmes that will be launched for the first time in the UAE. Etisalat is committed to strengthening its presence by supporting entertainment and cultural events that have come to be associated as signature attractions of DSF,

Today, DSF is considered to be one of the first innovative initiatives of Dubai that has gained international prominence. Since its inception in 1996, DSF has attracted nearly 56 million visitors to Dubai injecting more than AED 145 billion to its economy. The festival bears testimony to the successful vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, by becoming one of the main attractions of Dubais annual calendar and positioning Dubai on the world map as a popular hub for tourism, family entertainment and business.

The 20th edition of Dubai Shopping Festival is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and is being held under the theme, A Journey of Celebrations. Set to be the biggest in the history of the festival, DSF 2015 celebrates its key pillars of Winning, Shopping and Entertainment by offering more than 150 citywide events, mega attractions and numerous shopping opportunities and winning options for visitors and residents from around the world.