DUBAI Summer Surprises festival and witnessed a dramatic increase in their sales compared to the 2005 summer season. The Summer Surprises shopping festival runs June 21 through September 1 boosting sales of local jewelers during what is traditionally a lull period. Tourism added to the sale of gold, jewelry, and electronic items in 2006.

The festival, founded in 1998, promotes Dubai as a vacation destination and includes raffles and special events each week of the run. It is sponsored by the Dubai Shopping Malls Group, Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group, Emarat Petroleum, and the Grand Dubai Summer Surprises Raffle

The Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group awarded weekly prizes of gold, solitaire diamonds, jewellery, a BMW 3-series car, travel tickets, and Plasma television sets all through the summer of 2006. Customers were lured to spend with a promise that for every $68 (AED250) spent on jewellery they furthered their chances of winning Emirates airline tickets, Mont Blanc gift sets, 12-months of Carrefour shopping vouchers, Sony Bravia LCD TV, Guy Laroche watches, and Saks Fifth Avenue gift vouchers. The Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group will host a "mega final" draw on September 1, the final day of the festival � the prize, one luxury apartment from Dubais International City section!