Shopping Tourism in Dubai: A Case Study

This paper explores the emerging trend of shopping tourism in Dubai, identifying tourist profiles and key points that draw them to Dubai. The study aims to identify scopes of improvement in the current setup of Dubai in light of the identified trends.

Running head: SHOPPING TOURISM IN DUBAI: A CASE STUDY
SHOPPING TOURISM IN DUBAI: A CASE STUDY
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

Table of Contents
1. Background to the project:..................................................................................................3
2.Concepts and relevant theories................................................................................................5
3. Proposed research methodology and analysis:.......................................................................8
3.1. Research Objectives:.......................................................................................................8
3.2. Research Questions:........................................................................................................8
3.3. Methodology:..................................................................................................................8
3.4. Research Hypothesis.......................................................................................................9
4. Results and discussions:.......................................................................................................10
5. Conclusions and Recommendations:...................................................................................39
Reference..................................................................................................................................41
Appendix..................................................................................................................................44

1. Background to the project:
Cities are the economic hubs of a region, which drives business. They attract people
from around the world for various purposes, both business and leisure. Therefore aside from
being business destinations they have developed various recreational attractions to engage
locals and tourists alike. These urban spaces are often found to fashion the same model that
are found across various modernized cities of the world forming an extension of the “urban
lifestyle”. It has been observe that many tourists today prefer to partake in the distinctiveThe
UNWTO describes urban tourism to be an activity related to tourism activities associated
with urban space. The industry that is related to such are non-agricultural economy sectors
such as retail, manufacturing, transport, trade, administration and services (UNWTO 2018).
The experience that is urban tourism involves elements of cultural, technological, social, and
architectural as well as to some extent natural disposition of the urban, modernized regions of
the country of visit in terms of product and service preferences.
Shopping tourism is one of the major categories of urban tourism. Destination
shopping have come to form the strength of the tourism campaigns of many countries.
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Dubai are some of the notable examples. Shopping festivals,
year round markets offering diverse as well as unique experience and products are one of the
key features promoted by many. Examples would be that of the Great Singapore Sale, Dubai
Shopping Festival (DSF), Malaysia Year End Sale, Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival and
Amazing Thailand Grand Sale (Peter and Anandkumar 2016).
The past sixty years have experienced fast growth and diversification of the tourism
industry as waves of globalization swept the world. The scope of tourism expanded from the

traditional regions in Europe and the Americas to the Middle East and Asia and the
developing urban spaces in these places created scopes where tourist haunts aligned with not
only traditional and natural attractions of the region but also the recreational attractions of
urban spaces and culture such as the restaurant culture in Australia and shopping cultures in
countries like Singapore, HongKong and Dubai among others. The UNWTO in their global
tourism report from 2014 said that the worldwide tourist arrivals is anticipated to increase at a
rate of 3.3% per annum between the years 2010 and 2030 on an average, amounting to about
1.8 billion arrival in 2030. Simultaneously, in 2015, 54 percent of the world population were
found reside in urban area which would increase to 60 percent by 2030 (UNWTO 2014).
Hence it is anticipated that urban tourism would be following suit in terms of growth as well.
This provides a novel opportunity for countries to strengthen the economy by focusing on
developing their urban tourism market, especially the shopping tourism market. This can be
attributed to the fact that shopping tourism is intrinsically related to the retail and
manufacturing industry, which provides immense scope of employment for the locals. It not
only contributes to the economy but also gives patronage to local handicrafts and
craftsmanship hence contributing to heritage development. This is interesting since heritage
development can then be in turn used to further develop the tourism industry. Therefore
shopping tourism is a phenomenon that is fast emerging and which has the potential to
diversify economy further in the future.
According to a study by Kumar and Upadhyay(2017), there are about9 million
tourists that visit Dubaievery year. The study had identified how night shopping is a rising
trend in the country, especially during the month of Ramadan. Another reason that was
identified is that the tourists sought to avoid crowds during the day. Among the major factors
identified, the study lists that safe environment, transportation facilities and amenities as
being significant. A study by Mehta, Jain and Jawale (2014), made useof discriminant

analysis to study tourist trends in Dubai. As per the results of the study, retail, specifically
those based on high end malls characterized by “brand value” and “variety” are what for the
major part influenced tourist interest in Dubai as opposed to factors such as “price” and that
tourist attitude towards Dubai is a changing premise based on the changing brand presence in
the region.
This paper draws attention to the bustling shopping tourism offered by Dubai. Dubai
is known to be the shopping capital of the Middle East offering state of the art shopping
complexes and markets drawing retailers and tourists from all across the world. The aim is to
explore and identify the key factors that is behind the thriving shopping tourism business of
Dubai, such as what attracts a tourist to prefer or choose Dubai as a shopping destination.
This paper makes use of primary data collected using survey questionnaire to form a
descriptive statistical study of the trends and preference of tourists with regard to their views
about shopping culture in Dubai and about the impact of existing policies and infrastructure
on the same.
2.Concepts and relevant theories:
Szytniewski, Spieringsand van der Velde (2015) had conducted an investigation of
how socio-cultural proximity plays a role on tourism experience in the context of the tourist
movement along the Dutch-German border area. The authors had used their paper to explore
a multi-dimensional approach towards the issue, in light of tourists who reside in
geographically close regions but are in fact culturally different. The study establishes that
such proximities go on to positively impact the shopping tourism experience with greater
comfort reported by the cross-border tourists. However the authors also point out that their
results are subject to the fact that the premise of their study is based on stable and open
borders and that the relationship needs to be explored in a larger and more diverse context.

There are papers such as Zaidan (2015) which establish that shopping tourism is not
only related to retail but also it is a subsidiary experience of tourists seeking not only the
shopping experience but the overall experience of exciting materialistic, luxury experience
integrating shopping, food and entertainment. Hence the experience demands for more than
shopping attractions but also establishment of unique and distinctive experiences which
deliver certain ambience. The focus is therefore shifted from performance of individual
retailers to shopping complexes which offer a wide range of services. The paper identifies
luxury shopping experience as a viable avenue to be relevant in the context of Dubai. It
reflects that people opting for Dubai seem to seek out the experience of lavishness that Dubai
can offer and a more cosmopolitan approach to shopping. Establishments such as the Gold
Souk which dazzle customers and which many identify as the reason that Dubai is called
“City of Gold” offer experiences such as desert safaris and free Dhow cruises. Zaidan (2015)
identified that such experiences are what successfully draws and satisfies tourist attention.
The current tourism is Dubai is heavily influenced by global urban culture where people from
various cultures come together to showcase and celebrate heritages from across the world,
making for a truly global and cosmopolitan experience. The Global village in Dubai drew 5
million tourists showcasing, 12000 exhibitions from sixty five countries in 2014 alone
(GlobalVillage, 2014). It is therefore evident that infrastructure plays a big role in the success
of a shopping tourism project which facilitates such a global setting to be established.
Zhogi and Khosravi (2014) in their study of the scope of shopping tourism in Baneh
had identified a number of factors which had posed as a challenge to promotion of shopping
tourism in the city. Security and border policies, trade and reluctance of indigenous people to
accept cultural exposure of the tourists and lack of skilled force to guide the tourists. The
authors emphasized the necessity of trade policies which are conducive to global trade is
essential. Setting up of trade zones and the supportive infrastructure and man power are some

of the challenges that Baneh had faced. Comparing this to another study by Zaidan (2015) on
Dubai, it is clear that these are valid points. Dubai is seen to be one of the iconic shopping
destinations of the region and comparing the operations in Dubai, the importance of local
attitude and infrastructure is apparent.
A particular attraction of interest in the context of shopping tourism are shopping
festivals which are today being utilized as products for tourism. Peter and Anandkumar
(2014) present a study of how shopping festivals in Dubai have been successful in drawing
tourist interest to the city impacting retail and tourism. They studies the responses of
international tourists to the Dubai Shopping Festival(DSF) in 2013 with the intent of guiding
stakeholders to design their products and improve shopping setting. The authors identified
window displays or product presentation, variety, linguistic competency in various
international languages and behavior of onsite staff as important aspects driving customer
experience in such events. The study in contradiction to some of the findings of Zaidan
(2015) says that tourists to such events are unlikely to be bothered by overcrowding as they
expect it and neither do architecture of the venue. Instead it is the promotional schemes and
sales policy that work to draw more tourists. In a similar work by the authors in 2016, the
authors compared the nationalities of the tourists to such festivals in Dubai and present a
study on the comparison of their preferences.
Peter and Anandkumar (2016) reveal that cultural difference indeed have a
significant impact on the tourist expectations and experiences among those travelling to
shopping festivals in Dubai. They identified 23 different nationalities who differ in terms of
motivations and hence assert that these groups ought to be viewed upon as heterogeneous
groups when planning promotional campaigns. It was found that while the novelty of
“Shopping festivals” was more effective as a quality to attract those in East Asian countries
such as Japan, “Place safety” is more effective towards Europeans. Hence an understanding

of the core motivations of different groups could be useful from a marketing and promotional
standpoint.
3. Proposed research methodology and analysis:
3.1. Research Objectives:
The primary objective of this paper is to explore the emerging trend of shopping
tourism in Dubai. It will investigate the various motivations of the tourists in Dubai, engaging
in urban tourism, specifically shopping tourism. The paper will then aim to identify tourist
profiles and identify key points that draw them to Dubai given the existing trends. The study
in turn would try to identify scopes of improvement in the current setup of Dubai in light of
the identified trends.
3.2. Research Questions:
 What kind of tourists visit Dubai?
 What are the attributes that tourists to Dubai expect from the area?
 What attracts tourists to Dubai?
 What can be done to improve the shopping tourism scene in Dubai?
3.3. Methodology:
The study conducts a survey of tourists travelling to Dubai. The study collects data
using an online survey questionnaire, collecting data on demographic information of the
tourists, their age, gender, nationality, income, education and occupation. Additionally the
survey collected data regarding the general perception of the tourists with regard to Dubai as
a shopping destination and urban tourism attraction. Following Krosnick(2018) and the
various relevant previous literatures, the data also records in the form of a five point Likert-

scale, ratings on 28 items spanning aspects such as ambience, infrastructure, aesthetics,
security and products and services. The study shall be a descriptive study and make use of
descriptive and inferential statistical tools to arrive at the final conclusions. A sample of size
50 was collected. The data is cross-sectional implying that the design would be a cross-
sectional study design. This would give us a glimpse of the immediate trend of shopping
tourism in Dubai. The data was used to compute certain performance scores for Dubai. The
variables infrastructure, an average of infrastructure related items from the questionnaire,
ambience an average of related items, products and services which again is the same as the
previous scores and city appeal which is a mean of the items in section 3 regarding tourist’s
experiences and willingness to visit again in Dubai (Gilboa et al. 2015). The analysis shall be
done using SPSS software and the data shall be collected via Google forms.
3.4. Research Hypothesis
1.H1A: Infrastructure, ambience and products found in Dubai has a significant influence on
shopping tourism.
2.H1B: Security arrangement in Dubai has a significant influence on shopping tourism.
3.H1c: Global Cosmopolitan culture has a significant influence on shopping tourism.
4.H1D:Brand Presence has a significant impact in attracting tourists for shopping tourism.
5. H1E: Supplementary attractions such as movie halls, theatres and restaurants significantly
impact tourism experience.

4. Results and discussions:
Reliability
The reliability of the data, from section 3 of the survey questionnaire which
constitutes the tourist ratings of the tourism scene in Dubai was computed and the Cronbach’s
alpha statistic was computed to be greater than 0.9 which implies that the data is reliable
(Bonett and Wright 2015). The following table shows the results of the reliability test.
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach’s
Alpha
Cronbach’s
Alpha Based on
Standardized
Items
N of Items
.936 .938 28
Table 1
Demographics
The proportion of males and females in the survey was observed to be equal with 50
percent males and females each. Furthermore, out of all the tourists being studied from the
survey, 16 percent were from Asian countries, 26 percent were from European countries, 24
percent were from North America, 20 percent from South Asian countries, 8 percent from
Australia and 6 percent from other Middle Eastern countries.

Region
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Asia 8 16.0 16.0 16.0
Australia 4 8.0 8.0 24.0
Europe 13 26.0 26.0 50.0
Middle East 3 6.0 6.0 56.0
North America 12 24.0 24.0 80.0
South Asia 10 20.0 20.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 2: Tourists by Region

The sample comprises of 20 percent who are between 18 to 25 years of age, 16
percent were in the age group 25 years to 31 years, 26 percent were aged between 31 years
and 38 years, 18 percent were aged between 38 and 45 years and 20 percent were above 45
years of age.
Age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
18-25 years 10 20.0 20.0 20.0
25-31 years 8 16.0 16.0 36.0
31-38 years 13 26.0 26.0 62.0
38-45 years 9 18.0 18.0 80.0
45-51years 5 10.0 10.0 90.0
51-58 years 5 10.0 10.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0

Table 3: Age of Tourists
Out of all the tourists engaging in shopping tourism, all of whom were above 18 years
of age, 4 percent were found to be high school dropouts, 12 percent had at the most a high
school degree, 14 percent were diploma graduates, 18 percent were under graduates, 32
percent were post graduates and only 2 percent were post doctorates.
Figure 4: Education
Education
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid < High School 2 4.0 4.0 4.0
Diploma 7 14.0 14.0 18.0
Graduate 18 36.0 36.0 54.0

High School 6 12.0 12.0 66.0
Post Doctorate 1 2.0 2.0 68.0
Post Graduate 16 32.0 32.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 4: Educational qualification of respondents
The survey shows that 8 percent of the respondents were from income backgrounds
who earned less than 24,000 USD per annum. 24 percent had earnings of 24,000 USD to
48,000 USD per annum, 42 percent had earnings of 48,000 USD to 72,000 USD per annum
and 26 percent had earnings of greater than 72,000 USD per annum. The following figure and
table shows the frequencies of the same. It is observed from the table that 74 percent of the
respondents had earning greater than 48,000 USD. Therefore the tourists are mostly from
higher income backgrounds .
Figure 5: Annual Income of Tourists

AnnualIncome
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
<$24,000 4 8.0 8.0 8.0
$24,000-$48,000 12 24.0 24.0 58.0
$48,000- $72,000 21 42.0 42.0 100.0
>$72,000 13 26.0 26.0 34.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 5: Annual Income
42 percent out of all the tourists, participating in the survey reported that they are
business owners, 22 percent reported that they are Entertainers, 22 percent were in private
service sector, 10 percent reported to be public sector and 4 percent reported others. The
following figure and table 6 shows the computed frequency and cumulative frequency
percentages.

Figure 6: Occupation Group
Occupationcategory
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Business owner 21 42.0 42.0 42.0
Entertainer 11 22.0 22.0 64.0
Other 2 4.0 4.0 68.0
Public Service 5 10.0 10.0 78.0
Service 11 22.0 22.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 6: Occupation Sector of Tourists
Analysis
The questionnaire for the survey next had addressed the participants about their
opinions on Dubai as a travel and shopping destination. They were asked if they would

consider recommending Dubai to a friend as a shopping destination or not. 60 percent
responded positively, 26 percent said that they would not and 14 percent said that they might.
The summarized responses are given in the following table 7.
WillyourecommendshoppinginDubaitoafriend
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Maybe 7 14.0 14.0 14.0
No 13 26.0 26.0 40.0
Yes 30 60.0 60.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 7
The response to the question whether shopping is the main reason behind their trip to
Dubai, yielded affirmative answers from 42 percent of the respondents, 44 percent said that
shopping was not the only reason why they came to Dubai and 7 percent were not sure. More
percentage of the respondents were therefore found to be in Dubai for reasons not only
limited to shopping. It is therefore of interest to verify whether appeal of a destination, Dubai
in this case, as a shopping destination, depends on factors that have to do with other aspects
than the activity of shopping alone.
IsshoppingyourmainreasonforvisitingDubai
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid Maybe 7 14.0 14.0 14.0
No 22 44.0 44.0 58.0
Yes 21 42.0 42.0 100.0

Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 8
The tourists’ responses to the question regarding the company that they shop with
revealed that 26 percent liked to shop by themselves in Dubai, 30 percent liked to shop with
family and 44 percent shopped with their friends in Dubai.
Whomdoyoushopwithmostofthetime
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
By yourself 13 26.0 26.0 26.0
Family 15 30.0 30.0 56.0
Friends 22 44.0 44.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 9
The percentage of respondents who had family in Dubai and were in active contact
with them is 50 percent, 4 percent said that they may have but were not sure, indicating that
their visit most likely had no influence of family whatsoever and 46 percent did not have any
family in Dubai. This suggests that the percentage of tourists to the city is more or less the
same for those who have family there and those who do not.
YouhavefriendsandfamilywhoresideinDubai
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid Maybe 2 4.0 4.0 4.0
No 23 46.0 46.0 50.0

Yes 25 50.0 50.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 10
The percentage of people in the survey who preferred Shopping malls was found to be
36 percent, 24 percent preferred shopping in the Dubai Shopping festival(DSF) , 24 percent
preferred to shop in the Global Village and 16 percent liked to shop in the souks in Dubai.
Whicharethe areas where youprefermostforshoppinginDubai
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Shopping Malls 18 36.0 36.0 36.0
The Dubai Shopping festival 12 24.0 24.0 60.0
The Global Village 12 24.0 24.0 84.0
The souks 8 16.0 16.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 11
Again, with regard to when gauging a shop, 28 percent said that they would choose a
shop with a good brand influence, 6 percent said that they looked for shops with a cost
conscious approach, 42 percent said that their main lookout was that of good quality and 24
percent looked for shops where products and services are value for money.
Whattypeofshopsdoyouuse
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid Brand Conscious 14 28.0 28.0 28.0

Cost Conscious 3 6.0 6.0 34.0
Good Quality 21 42.0 42.0 76.0
Value for Money 12 24.0 24.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 12
Finally, 20 percent of the participants said that they visit Dubai to shop with a
frequency of less than one time in a year, 50 percent said that they visit the country more than
once and 28 percent said that the visit the country once a year to shop.
HowoftenayeardoyoushopinDubai
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Less than once a year 10 20.0 20.0 20.0
More than once a year 26 52.0 52.0 72.0
Once a year 14 28.0 28.0 100.0
Total 50 100.0 100.0
Table 13
The results discussed above are given as graphical summaries in the following
figures.

Figure 7: Response to “Will you recommend Shopping in Dubai?”

Figure 8: Response to “Is shopping your main reason for shopping in Dubai”

Figure 9: Response to “Whom do you shop with in Dubai”
Figure 10: Response to “Do you have friends or family in Dubai”

Figure 11: Response to “Which area do you prefer to shop at?”

Figure 12: Response to “What do you look for in a shop?”

Figure 13: Response to “How often do to come to shop in Dubai?”
Now five scores were computed from the ratings of the tourists from section 3 of the
questionnaire. The five scores computed included, a score on the infrastructure of the city of
Dubai, accessibility of the shopper attractions, the overall ambience of the shopping zones,
the quality of the products and services available at Dubai and the overall appeal that the city
has on the tourists (Gilboa et al. 2015). The item, “How secure do you feel against acts of
terror” was used as an indicator of the security in the city. The following table gives the
descriptive measures of these scores. It was seen that the mean security score is 4.18, the
mean accessibility is 4.06, the mean infrastructure score is 4.08, the mean ambience score is
4.08, the mean rating for product and service is 4.23 and the average city appeal is 4.21. The
mode of the same is 4, 4, 4, 5, 4.6 and 5 respectively. The standard deviation were found to
be less than 1 for all hence the estimates are considered to be consistent (Anderson et al.
2016). The ratings are all found to be therefore above average on a scale of 1 to 5.
Howsecuritydoyoufeelagainstactsoft
error
Accessibili
ty
Infrastructu
re
Overallambien
ce
Produc
ts
service
Cityappe
al
N
Valid 50 50 50 50 50 50
Missin
g
0 0 0 0 0 0
Mean 4.18 4.0600 4.0563 4.0840 4.2360 4.2100
Mode 4a 4.00 4.00a 5.00 4.60 5.00
Std.
Deviation
.800 .78011 .69094 .61291 .54164 .62344
Table 14: Descriptive Measure of Scores

Relationship between Dubai’s scores and shopping frequency
The association between the performances of the city in terms of infrastructure scores
that the tourist gives to Dubai with that of their intensity of shopping visits to the city was
computed using the chi-squared test for association. The assumed level of significance when
taken to be 0.05, the null asserting no association could not be rejected at 5% level of
significance. Hence not enough association was observed between the intensity of shopping
and the infrastructure of the city. The Kendall’s tau-b statistic measuring the ordinal
correlation was again found to be 0.161 and was not found to be significant either (Sharpe
2015).
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 20.208a 26 .782
Likelihood Ratio 22.350 26 .669
Linear-by-Linear Association 2.557 1 .110
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 54 cells (100.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is .20.
Table 15: Chi-squared Tests: Infrastructure against Intensity of shopping visit
Symmetric Measures
Value Asymp. Std.
Errora
Approx. Tb Approx. Sig.
Ordinal by Ordinal Kendall's tau-b .161 .127 1.229 .219
N of Valid Cases 50
a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.
Table 16: Kendall’s Tau-b statistic: Infrastructure against Intensity of shopping visit
The association between the performances of the city in terms of ambience scores that
the tourist gives to Dubai with that of their intensity of shopping visits to the city was
computed using the chi-squared test for association. The null asserting no association could
not be rejected at 5% level of significance on the basis of Pearson’s chi-squared but it could
be rejected on the basis on linear by linear association test. The Kendall’s tau-b statistic
measuring the ordinal correlation was again found to be 0.277 and was found to be significant
at 5%. Hence discrepancy exists between the results for the observed association between the
intensity of shopping and the ambience of the city.
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 18.661a 15 .230
Likelihood Ratio 20.705 15 .147
Linear-by-Linear Association 4.252 1 .039
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 31 cells (96.9%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is .20.
Table 17: Chi-squared Test: Ambience against Intensity of shopping visit
Symmetric Measures
Value Asymp. Std. Errora Approx. Tb Approx. Sig.
Ordinal by Ordinal Kendall's tau-b .277 .112 2.250 .024
N of Valid Cases 50

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.
b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.
Table 18: Kendall’s Tau-b statistic: Ambience against Intensity of shopping visit
The association between the performances of the city in terms of products and service
scores that the tourist gives to Dubai with that of their intensity of shopping visits to the city
was computed using the chi-squared test for association. Given the assumed level of
significance, the null asserting no association could not be rejected at 5% level of
significance on the basis of Pearson’s chi-squared, likelihood ratio test or linear by linear
association test. The Kendall’s tau-b statistic measuring the ordinal correlation was again
found to be 0.021 and was found to be not significant at 5% level. Thus no association could
be identified between frequency of going to Dubai to shop and the products and services that
Dubai offers. Thus it is implied that tourists attracted to Dubai as a shopping destination
depends on some other factor than the products it offers.
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 6.721a 10 .751
Likelihood Ratio 6.922 10 .733
Linear-by-Linear Association .001 1 .979
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 18 cells (81.8%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is .20.
Table 19: Chi-squared Test: Products and Service against Intensity of shopping visit
Symmetric Measures
Value Asymp. Std. Errora Approx. Tb Approx. Sig.

Ordinal by Ordinal Kendall's tau-b .021 .119 .178 .859
N of Valid Cases 50
a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.
b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.
Table 20: Kendall’s Tau-b statistic: Products offered against Intensity of shopping visit
The association between the level of security against terror attacks that the tourists
may feel and their inclination to go back to Dubai to shop was tested using Pearson’s chi
square test, likelihood ratio test and linear by linear test at 5% level of significance. The null
hypothesis of no association was rejected for the tests except the likelihood ratio test. The
Kendall’s tau-b statistic for correlation between the two was found to be 0.290 and significant
at 5% level.
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 8.924a 3 .030
Likelihood Ratio 7.763 3 .051
Linear-by-Linear Association 4.497 1 .034
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 5 cells (62.5%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is .20.
Table 21: Chi square tests: Security with shopping visit intensity
Symmetric Measures
Value Asymp. Std.
Errora
Approx. Tb Approx. Sig.
Ordinal by Ordinal Kendall's tau-b .290 .131 2.034 .042
N of Valid Cases 50
a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.
Table 22: Kendall’s Tau-b statistic: Security with shopping visit intensity
The preference of the tourists towards the various kinds of shopping attractions in
Dubai, such as the souks, the overtly extravagant shopping malls, the high class cosmopolitan
Global village and the annual Dubai shopping festival showed that there is a significant
difference among the preference of the tourists. It is seen that the tourists who preferred the
global village gave significantly greater score to Dubai in terms of city appeal. The anova test
was used to compare the scores among the four groups of tourists and the null hypothesis of
no difference was rejected at 5% level. The post hoc test showed that the group favoring The
global village gave considerably greater scores. This suggests that one of the key appeals of
Dubai is the Global urban culture that the city has been able to develop that draws crowds.
Descriptives
Cityappeal
N Mean Std.
Deviation
Std.
Error
95% Confidence Interval
for Mean
Minimum Maximum
Lower
Bound
Upper
Bound
The souks 8 3.7813 .82848 .29291 3.0886 4.4739 2.75 5.00
Shopping Malls 18 4.2917 .46376 .10931 4.0610 4.5223 3.50 5.00
The Global Village 12 4.6875 .47822 .13805 4.3837 4.9913 3.75 5.00
The Dubai Shopping
festival
12 3.8958 .48216 .13919 3.5895 4.2022 3.00 4.75
Total 50 4.2100 .62344 .08817 4.0328 4.3872 2.75 5.00
Table 23: City appeal scores by preference for shopping attraction
ANOVA
Cityappeal
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 5.511 3 1.837 6.244 .001
Within Groups 13.534 46 .294
Total 19.045 49
Table 24: ANOVA Table summary
Multiple Comparisons
Dependent Variable: cityappeal
LSD
(I) shoppingsites (J) shoppingsites Mean Difference
(I-J)
Std.
Error
Sig. 95% Confidence Interval
Lower
Bound
Upper
Bound
The souks
Shopping Malls -.51042* .23048 .032 -.9744 -.0465
The Global Village -.90625* .24758 .001 -1.4046 -.4079
The Dubai Shopping
festival
-.11458 .24758 .646 -.6129 .3838
Shopping Malls
The souks .51042* .23048 .032 .0465 .9744
The Global Village -.39583 .20215 .056 -.8027 .0111
The Dubai Shopping
festival
.39583 .20215 .056 -.0111 .8027
The Global Village
The souks .90625* .24758 .001 .4079 1.4046
Shopping Malls .39583 .20215 .056 -.0111 .8027
The Dubai Shopping
festival
.79167* .22144 .001 .3459 1.2374
The Dubai Shopping
festival
The souks .11458 .24758 .646 -.3838 .6129
Shopping Malls -.39583 .20215 .056 -.8027 .0111
The Global Village -.79167* .22144 .001 -1.2374 -.3459
*. The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.
Table 25: Multiple comparisons of city appeal scores over the preference groups

Figure 14: Means plot comparing attraction preference by city appeal scores
Previous studies as discussed in previous sections had identified brand appeal as a
factor affecting shopping tourism. The study here then compared the tentative relationship
between importance of brand appeal to a tourist with his or her level of appeal to the city of
Dubai. The tourists were divided into two groups, one which feels that brand value is
important and the other which did not think so. The scores of city appeal was compared for
these two groups using independent samples t-test with 5% level of significance. The null
asserting no difference could not be rejected however as the difference was found to be
insignificant. The study thus could not find significant impact of brand appeal adding value to
appeal of Dubai as a shopping destination. The following tables give the mean scores for each
group and the results of the t-test.
Group Statistics
brandappeal N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
cityappeal 1.00 14 4.1786 .56695 .15152

.00 36 4.2222 .65131 .10855
Table 26: Comparison of importance of brand appeal to city appeal
Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test
for Equality of
Variances
t-test for Equality of Means
F Sig. T df Sig.
(2-
tailed)
Mean
Difference
Std. Error
Difference
95% Confidence
Interval of the
Difference
Lower Upper
cityappeal
Equal
variances
assumed
1.034 .314
-.22
0
48 .827 -.04365 .19830 -.44236 .35506
Equal
variances not
assumed
-.23
4
27.116 .817 -.04365 .18639 -.42602 .33872
Table 27: Independent samples t-test for significance in difference of means
Another aspect under study in this paper was whether auxiliary attractions such as
restaurants, theaters, pubs, clubs and casinos near the shopping venues and around the city
had any significant positive impact on the experience of the tourists. The test for association
between the city appeal and the presence of these attractions was verified by means of the
chi-square test, likelihood ratio test and linear by linear association test. The tests rejected
their null hypotheses at 5% level of significance respectively, indicating that presence of such
establishment do in fact influence the tourism experience for the participants. The Kendall’s
tau-b measure assumed the value 0.349, a moderately positive correlation which was found to
be significant as well indicating positive impact.
Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 31.875a 18 .023
Likelihood Ratio 36.004 18 .007
Linear-by-Linear Association 6.417 1 .011
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 28 cells (93.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is .04.
Table 28: Association of other recreational establishments with tour experience
Symmetric Measures
Value Asymp. Std.
Errora
Approx. Tb Approx. Sig.
Ordinal by Ordinal Kendall's tau-b .349 .103 3.440 .001
N of Valid Cases 50
a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.
b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.
Table 29: Correlation of presence of recreational establishments with tour experience
City appeal is an aspect which covers the overall appeal that the city of Dubai
presents to tourists of all kinds. The survey had targeted tourists who even if not visiting the
city for the sole purpose of shopping, but engaged actively in the experience of destination
shopping. The scores for appeal therefore were taken to be indicative of the traits that would
be relevant to understanding what makes Dubai interesting or appealing for shopping tourism
as marketing research commands (Burns, Bush and Sinha 2014) . The data was used to
model the appeal scores on the basis of certain independent predictors such as infrastructure
scores, ambience scores, accessibility scores or in other words transportation and the quality
of products and services. This was done to understand the effect of each on the dependent
variable, city appeal.

The data was fit using a linear regression method, with stepwise approach to narrow
down the relevant predictors for city appeal. The following table gives the summary of the
models considered. Model 2 that is found to have the multiple R squared value as 0.617 was
found to have a goodness of fit value or R square statistic equal to 0.380, that is the model
explains 38 percent of the variation in appeal and the model was significant at 5% level of
significance. The factors ambience and infrastructure were identifies as the two significant
predictors of city appeal at 5% level (Park 2015).
Model Summary
Model R R
Square
Adjusted R
Square
Std. Error of
the
Estimate
Change Statistics
R Square
Change
F
Change
df1 df2 Sig. F
Change
1 .565a .319 .305 .51974 .319 22.503 1 48 .000
2 .617b .380 .354 .50104 .061 4.650 1 47 .036
a. Predictors: (Constant), ambience
b. Predictors: (Constant), ambience, Infrastructure
Table 30: Linear Regression model Summary
ANOVAa
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
1
Regression 6.079 1 6.079 22.503 .000b
Residual 12.966 48 .270
Total 19.045 49
2
Regression 7.246 2 3.623 14.432 .000c
Residual 11.799 47 .251
Total 19.045 49
a. Dependent Variable: cityappeal
b. Predictors: (Constant), ambience

c. Predictors: (Constant), ambience, Infrastructure
Table 31: ANOVA test for model significance of linear model
Coefficientsa
Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
1
(Constant) .991 .682 1.452 .153
ambience .755 .159 .565 4.744 .000
2
(Constant) 1.029 .658 1.564 .125
ambience .462 .205 .346 2.256 .029
Infrastructure .298 .138 .331 2.156 .036
a. Dependent Variable: cityappeal
Table 32: Estimated model coefficients and variable significance
The residuals of the regression model was found to comply with the assumption of
normality, tested by the Kolmogorov Smirnov and Shapiro Wilk test, as they failed to reject
null hypothesis which asserts normality as shown below. The QQ plot implies the same
(Montgomery, Peck and Vining 2012).
Tests of Normality
Kolmogorov-Smirnova Shapiro-Wilk
Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig.
Standardized Residual .092 50 .200* .979 50 .507
*. This is a lower bound of the true significance.
a. Lilliefors Significance Correction
Table 30: Test for Normality of City appeal scores

Figure 15: QQ plot of the residuals
Finally the tourists were classified into two groups on the basis of the intensity of
shopping trips to Dubai. The groups were based such as, one group which visited the city at
least once every year and the other as less than that. A logistic regression model was explored
to identify the factors which explain their intensity of visit to Dubai for shopping. The
predictor variables initially considered were accessibility scores, infrastructure scores, over
all ambience scores, appreciation for presence of other recreational establishments in the
vicinity, security perception against terror attacks and the quality of products and services.
The finalized model had the predictors, ambience scores, products and service scores
and confidence in security against terror attacks. The latter two were found to be significant
at 5% level to the model (Park 2015).
Variables in the Equation
B S.E. Wald df Sig. Exp(B)
Step 1a Accessibility .358 .653 .300 1 .584 1.430

Infrastructure .537 1.000 .289 1 .591 1.711
productservice -2.941 1.204 5.967 1 .015 .053
Howsecuritydoyoufeelagains
tactsofterror
.887 .737 1.446 1 .229 2.427
overallambience 1.269 1.056 1.444 1 .230 3.559
Thevenuehasrestaurantsmo
vietheatersandotherentertain
mentinvicini
.407 .668 .371 1 .542 1.503
Step 4a
productservice -2.402 .989 5.898 1 .015 .091
Howsecuritydoyoufeelagains
tactsofterror
1.191 .603 3.902 1 .048 3.290
overallambience 1.722 .901 3.650 1 .056 5.593
a. Variable(s) entered on step 1: Accessibility, Infrastructure, productservice,
Howsecuritydoyoufeelagainstactsofterror, overallambience,
Thevenuehasrestaurantsmovietheatersandotherentertainmentinvicini.
Therefore the results of the study accepts the hypothesis that infrastructure, ambience
have significant impact in the tourist’s appeal to Dubai and that products have a significant
impact on drawing a tourist back to Dubai. The hypothesis that infrastructure, ambience and
product and service have significant impact on shopping tourism in Dubai is therefore
accepted as per the evidence of the study. The perception of security in Dubai or the ability of
the city to garner confidence among the tourists against terror attacks was also found to have
significant effect on drawing a tourist back to the city for shopping trips which leads to the
acceptance of the second research hypothesis. The greater appeal of tourists towards the
global villages as validated in the study again validates the claim that the cosmopolitan global
culture in Dubai is favorable to the shopping tourism industry of Dubai as asserted by many
previous studies discussed in the previous section. Brand presence was however not found to

be a significant factor for the tourists as an influence on the appeal of the city to them.
However presence of other recreational establishments in Dubai was seen to correspond with
greater appreciation among the tourists.
A key limitation of the study however is that the sample used in the study have a
limited number of representation from a number of regions, the Middle East being a notable
one. The study has more representation from Europe, South Asia and United States. It is
therefore reflective of the perception of tourists from these areas.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations:
The study found that Dubai mainly attracts crowds who are from the upper classes,
who are well secured financially. The city draws people looking to spend time with friends
and family alike. A key group identified as tourists to the city are business owners. The study
further concludes that infrastructural aspects such as transport efficiency, utilities and
facilities, lighting, elevators, lifts, architecture, floor plan among others are significant aspects
influencing tourist’s experience in the context of shopping tourism. Ambiences of the areas
and service quality as well as product quality are also important factor. Brand presence was
found to not have much significance in terms of tourist appeal as these factors however. A
key issue identified was that of security arrangement which was concluded to have significant
impact on a tourist’s intensity of visit. The tourists were instead found to be more drawn to
the experience that shopping in Dubai offers as the tourists identified a global cosmopolitan
setting as their preferred experience as the larger appeal of Dubai. Finally, presence of other
forms of recreational establishments such as restaurants, pubs, clubs were found to add
appeal to the tourist’s experience as well. All these factors were found to have contributed to
the sprawling shopping tourism that Dubai enjoys.

It is recommended that the Dubai looks towards further reinforcing the global urban
ambience that it has developed. It could also do well to increasing the promotional campaigns
in an attempt to improve its product and service quality. Investing in establishments other
than shopping venues where the tourist could engage in other entertainments as an integrated
experience is also recommended.

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Appendix
Survey Questionnaire: Shopping Tourism in Dubai
Section A:
1. Nationality:__________________________
2. Age:
 18-25 years
 25-31 years
 31-38 years
 38-45 years
 45-51 years
 51-58 years
 >58 years
3. Gender
 Male
 Female
 Other
4. Education
 Less than High School
 High School Graduate
 Diploma
 Bachelors Degree
 Master’s Degree
 Post Doctorate
5. Occupation: ______________________________
6. Annual Income
 <$24,000
 $24,000-$48,000
 $48,000-$72,000
 >$72,000
Section B
1. How often do you shop in Dubai?
 More than once a year

 Less than once a year
 Once in a Year
2. Will you recommend shopping in Dubai to a friend?
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
3. Is shopping your main reason for visiting Dubai?
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
4. Whom do you shop with most of the time?
 By yourself
 Family
 Friends
5. You have friends and family who reside in Dubai?
 Yes
 No
6. Which areas do you prefer most for shopping in Dubai?
 Souks
 Shopping Malls
 The Global Village
 The Dubai Sale Festival
7. What type of shops do you use?
 Brand Conscious
 Value for money
 Good Quality
 Cost Conscious

Section C
S.n
o
Rate the following aspects as per your agreement (1- Minimum, 5-
Maximum)
1 2 3 4 5
1 Do you agree that distance of the venue should be close to your hotel?
2 Transportation options to and from the venues are abundant and efficient?
3 Is the parking space well managed and large enough?
4 The temperature control is satisfactory?
5 Do you like the venue façade?
6 The venues have good general hygiene?
7 Rate whether the background music is pleasant or not
8 Rate the Illumination of the malls
9 Please rate the AmbienceOdour?
10 How satisfactory are the promotional events
11 Do you think there are sufficient utilities?
12 Are the malls large?
13 Rate the Lifts & Escalators

14 Is the landscaping to your liking?
15 Would you prefer an Open structure?
16 How security do you feel against acts of terror
17 Do you feel comfortable with the tenant-mix
18 Do you feel that the floor plan is convenient?
19 Are the shopping mall in compliance with construction laws?
20 As a shopper do you feel that Dubai has diverse and unique products to
offer?
21 Window displays are attractive?
22 Discounts and offers are important to you?
23 Are you happy with the available shopping offers the city has to offer?
24 The venue has restaurants, movie theaters and other entertainment in
vicinity?
25 You like visiting Dubai with friends?
26 You like visiting Dubai with family?
27 You enjoy visiting to Dubai?
28 You are likely to visit Dubai again in the next 2 years?