Dubai’s Global Village will open its doors to the visitors for its silver jubilee season on October 25. The multicultural festival opens under strict health and safety protocols considering the current pandemic situation.
The 25th season of the festival has a huge list of activities planned including the return of its most eye-catching fireworks feature that will take place every Thursday and Friday and on special occasions like New Year’s Eve.
The chief executive of Global Village Bader Anwahi stated that “this year is no ordinary year”. Due to the prevailing pandemic situation, the festival organizers have put forward various new features by prioritizing safety.
“Enhanced hygiene and protection are of the utmost importance due to the ongoing circumstances. We believe we have found the perfect balance between fun and safety,” says Anwahi.
Social distancing & sanitization
One of the major steps taken is increasing the cleaning schedules. The rides and attractions will be working under reduced capacity and will be sanitized after every use. Touchpoints will be cleaned at regular intervals and toilets and prayer rooms will be disinfected.
Social distancing will be maintained between tables in restaurants and all utensils will be cleaned after every use. All the stalls across the park will also be utilising a queue system to ensure social distancing, Anwahi adds.
The park has installed thermal screening at all access points and more than 600 hand sanitizer stations in the park. Face masks are mandatory for guests and staff alike who are expected to wear it all times inside the venue. Valet parking will be replaced by a premium self-parking feature.
Meanwhile, besides the standard signage, Global Village has introduced creative measures to enforce social distancing across age groups. One such example is teddy bears being introduced as a substitute for traditional signs and stickers in seating areas across the children’s theatre.
“We have also lowered attendance in front of the main stage to 30 percent so guests can enjoy entertainment in a comfortable environment that aligns with our social distancing policy,” says Anwahi.
Bader Anwahi CEO – Global Village
“This year is no ordinary year and we ask that our guests respect the precautionary measures that we have put in place for the comfort of all. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back and look forward to celebrating the Silver Jubilee Season with our partners and guests as we all enjoy cultural offerings from all over the world.”
Measures for contactless payment
Exploring the numerous stalls and haggling has always been one of the best-loved features of Global Village. This year, guests can expect a more streamlined experience as the festival puts forward contactless payment solutions at the park. Through a partnership with emaratech, Global Village has launched a digital wallet solution called GV Pay by noqodi.
GV Pay by noqodi and a new Global Village app will allow guests to purchase everything they want at Global Village through their phone. Each stall at the Global Village will have a unique QR code and to connect with the shopper’s account the customers can scan it through the mobile application and make payment.
The visitors can refill their digital wallets at any time through the application. It ultimately aims at reducing queues, reliance on cash across the park and thus making it more contactless.
On October 25th, a Global Village website and mobile application will also be launched which will help the guests to buy tickets, pay premium parking fees and recharge their Wonder Pass online. Standard credit and debit card payments will be possible at the vast majority of outlets on site.
