Dubai Customs has promoted the local market’s preparations for the marketing season during Eid by providing facilities to ensure that goods enter markets on time in order to meet the needs of consumers for presents and gifts. Eid coincides with summer holidays, which raises the demand on presents.
All customs centers have been directed to coordinate with importers and offer them all the facilities they need to completely address market needs, in order to avoid any price increases. This enhances Dubai's ability to attract shoppers and tourists during the Eid holiday, which witnesses heavy flows of visitors from all over the world to Dubai, especially from the GCC states and other states within the region. These visitors come to enjoy the celebratory and festive spirit of Eid Al Fitr in Dubai.
The boom of tourism in Dubai, reaching 10 million tourists and visitors in 2012, has promoted continuous growth of gift trade. Tourists opt to shop in the markets of the Emirate; as they are confident they will find the best global products and brands at the best available prices, with no additional costs shoppers in other markets might endure.
Dubai Customs has been keen to continuously improve its performance and cut down the time needed for goods clearance to the minimum. Dubai Customs does this through the development and widespread use of information technologies in customs clearance operations. All cargoes are set to prior diagnosis by the Risk Engine, which is fed with information and data in order to be able to identify the potential risks on cargoes, if any.
The gift trade in Dubai - including many goods such as cosmetics, perfumes, textiles, garments, footwear and hats- has surged in total value between 2010 and 2012; achieving a growth rate of 23.5% over the two years to obtain AED 58bn in 2012; in comparison to the AED 47bn in 2010, and the AED 54bn in 2011.
Growth of gift imports has gone up by 32% between 2010 and 2012 from AED 31bn to AED 41bn, compared to AED 38bn in 2011. On the other hand, exports and re-exports have gone up from AED 16bn in 2010 to AED 17bn in 2011, and have maintained that mark in 2012.
Cosmetics and skincare products have rose to the top of Dubai's gift imports in 2012 for AED 3.6bn; followed by woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers at AED 3bn; perfumes for AED 2.8bn; footwear for AED 2.7bn, and women clothes for AED 2.5bn. Total imports of these products hit AED 14.54bn, accounting for 35% of total gift imports.
Cosmetics were at the top of gift exports in 2012. Cosmetic soap hit AED 540mn; followed by perfumes for AED 320mn; textiles for AED 280mn; body care products for AED 270mn, and woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers AED 220mn. All these products combined accounted for 63% of total exports, and amounted to AED 1.63bn.
As far as re-exports are concerned, woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers have reached the top at AED 2.3bn; followed by perfumes for AED 2bn. Cosmetics and skin care products came in third at AED 1.1bn, body care products rank the fourth for AED 586mn, and hair care products amounted to AED 581mn, which reflected a total re-export value of such products for AED 6.5bn –about 46% of gift re-export in 2012.