The Hatta Winter Festival receives 2 million visitors from inside and outside the country

Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Dubai Government Media Office, announced the conclusion of the Hatta Winter activities, which were launched under the guidance and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, achieving great success and unprecedented turnout from visitors from within the country and the region. This year, the festival included six festivals: the “Shatana in Hatta” festival, the Hatta Honey Festival, the Hatta Agricultural Festival, the Hatta Cultural Nights Festival, the “Hatta Bringing Us Together Festival,” and the “Hatta Wadi Hub Festival.”

Over the course of an entire month, the festival attracted about 2 million visitors over the course of nearly a full month of activities that received a large response from visitors from inside and outside the country. The content published about the festival also achieved 2.4 billion views, including 32 million views of the videos published about the festival.

On this occasion, Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Brand Dubai, stressed the importance of major festivals and events organized in the Hatta region under the supervision of the Supreme Committee to Supervise the Development of the Hatta Region, and in cooperation and coordination between various governmental, semi-governmental and private agencies, aiming to enhance the competitiveness of the region as a distinguished tourist destination, and open more opportunities for the private sector, productive families and entrepreneurs, in addition to providing them to support local projects for the people of the region.

Al Suwaidi said: “The unprecedented turnout for the festival’s activities is evidence of the success of #Shatta_Hatta in achieving its goals in promoting this region, which is rich in its natural, historical and cultural features. This success imposes on us a great responsibility to redouble our efforts during the coming seasons to develop activities that keep pace with this turnout and the great interaction that we have witnessed from various segments of society and visitors.”

She expressed her gratitude for the cooperation with the Hatta Hatta partners, which was greatly credited with the success of the festival and the promotion of the Hatta region, which is rich in attractions such as natural diversity, cultural heritage, and historical evidence. Pointing out that organizing events and festivals succeeded with the combined efforts of all: the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture”, Dubai Community Development Authority, Dubai Sports Council, and the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai. The event contributed to shedding more light on the nature of the region, its heritage and its picturesque nature.

In turn, Amina Taher, a member of the festival’s organizing committee, said: “The great success achieved by this year’s edition of #Shatta_Hatta reflects the amount of work and coordination that took place over a period of months between various work teams and partners, to ensure the provision of an integrated and safe experience that meets the aspirations of visitors from inside and outside the country.

She added: “We have been keen to develop the content of the events and expand the scope of community participation, in a way that enhances Hatta’s position as a leading winter destination that combines nature, culture and the spirit of innovation. We are proud that the festival has become an annual platform to support local talent and empower entrepreneurs and productive families, thus consolidating the sustainable economic and social impact of the initiative.”

In parallel with the large demand from visitors to the activities of the Hatta Winter Initiative, the creative content of videos, pictures and news witnessed great interaction across social media platforms and websites, with the rate of viewing videos reaching more than 2.4 billion views, of which 32 million were views of video clips only, while the total number of news published about the initiative across newspapers, television and the Internet reached more than 1.5 thousand, with 60% coming from within the Emirates.

The Hatta Winter Festival attracted about 2 million visitors of all ages, who participated in many diverse events this year. The festival also provided a wide range of facilities and services for the comfort of visitors, including prayer rooms, restaurants, cafes, parking lots, and valet parking, in addition to many outlets selling various products and other services that integrated into making the visit an unforgettable experience. Especially since this year’s edition of “#Winter_Hatta” included six festivals, each of which includes many diverse events and activities in cooperation with the initiative’s partners from government agencies and the private sector, and these festivals include: #Shatana_Festival_in_Hatta, organized by “Brand Dubai”, “Hatta Cultural Nights Festival” and organized by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority “Dubai Culture”, “Hatta Honey Festival” and “Hatta Agricultural Festival”, both organized by Dubai Municipality, and “Hatta Festival Brings Us Together” is organized by the Community Development Authority in Dubai, in addition to “Hatta Wadi Hub Festival” organized by the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai. In addition to 30 various events, including the “Cooking and Camping” event, the “Star Shooting” event, and the traditional life event at Hatta Farms, which is intended for children and combines experiencing ancient lifestyles in a fun and attractive way. The “Home Bakery” restaurant, which is one of the most famous restaurants in Dubai, is also participating in the festival.

A wide range of festival activities focused on combining entertainment and education, with a comprehensive agenda that included more than 150 workshops and more than 30 activities for adults and children throughout the festival period. Brand Dubai cooperated with the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development to encourage young people from the people of Hatta and their participation in the “Little Merchant” competition.

As part of Brand Dubai’s keenness to support the projects that are members of the “Proudly from Dubai” initiative, and to diversify the services provided through the festival, 30 projects participated during the festival within the current session, half of which belong to entrepreneurs from the people of Hatta, while the other half belong to entrepreneurs from around Dubai, to shed light on these projects, introduce their work, and promote their products.

This year, the festival has allocated large areas for children with a full program of activities and events designed to bring happiness to them, through workshops that include training in creative skills. The festival will also include, for the first time, a mini zoo that includes a group of birds and animals such as ponies, deer, goats, hawks, parrots, rabbits, and others. While the winter games area gave more fun and adventure to the festival.

The workshops area also included an agenda full of attractive interactive activities throughout the festival. Throughout the month, this area organized more than 150 outdoor workshops, with a stunning view of Lake Lim and the surrounding festival square, and provided an opportunity for visitors, whether young or old, to learn handicraft skills and arts inspired by the beauty of the natural environment of the Hatta region through a distinguished group of experts from the people of Hatta, making it one of the most inspiring areas of the festival.

It was noteworthy that Brand Dubai, sponsored by Camelicious, organized a special majlis for senior citizens, to spend some time talking and provide the opportunity to recall some images associated with the Hatta area from memory, and to relax with a charming view of the festival activities. The majlis was designed in a style that reflects the distinctive character of the Emirati majlis.

Dubai Media Incorporated participated in covering the activities of the “#Shatana_in_Hatta” festival for the third year in a row, through daily coverage directly from the heart of the event on Sama Dubai Channel. The events were accompanied by the “Dubai Evening” program, which provides comprehensive daily coverage of events and activities, in addition to hosting prominent figures from the people of Hatta to introduce their distinguished contributions in various fields, in addition to segments that shed light on the spirit of “Hatta Hatta” and its special identity. The channel also presented a group of live interactive programs within the festival sites, including: “Mandoos Hatta”, “Benshdak ​​Hatta”, and “Bshara Hatta”, and children have a share of the experience, as the “Hatta Heroes” program provides entertaining and interactive content that brings benefit and enjoyment to children within daily activities.

It is worth noting that Dubai Municipality organized the tenth season of the Hatta Honey Festival, the most prominent annual event to support Emirati beekeepers and the honey production sector nationwide, with the participation of 50 Emirati beekeepers. The municipality also organized the Hatta Agricultural Festival, on the banks of Lake Lim, with the participation of 25 Hatta farmers to display their products during the event.

Ahmed Al Khaja, Executive Director of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Corporation, said: “The Dubai Shopping Festival, through Hatta Migrants, succeeded in providing distinctive experiences that contributed to highlighting the Hajar Mountains and strengthened its position as one of the most prominent and most attractive winter destinations in Dubai for visitors. The festival’s activities extended from the city to the heart of its picturesque nature by presenting more than 30 interactive outdoor activities, in addition to exceptional experiences such as the luxurious dinner experience ‘Dinner in the Sky’, and the first “A one-of-a-kind cinema dome. Our preparation of an integrated program for mountain adventures embodies the Dubai Shopping Festival’s commitment to innovation and providing innovative entertainment experiences that enhance Dubai’s position as a unique destination capable of providing world-class experiences through many tourist attractions.”

For his part, Badr Anwahi, Executive Director of the Public Utilities Corporation in Dubai Municipality, said: “The success of the Hatta Agricultural Festival and the Hatta Honey Festival within the #Hatta_Hatta initiative represents an important milestone that confirms the integration of joint government efforts in supporting sustainable rural development, empowering Emirati farmers and beekeepers, and strengthening the local economy in Hatta. Our goal in Dubai Municipality, through these events, is to enhance the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, and empower local producers through organized platforms that support the quality of products and the efficiency of supply chains, supported by initiatives Quality and advanced laboratory testing system, and support packages for the agricultural sector. Our efforts are continuing to work with our partners to consolidate Hatta’s position as a leading destination for eco-tourism, sustainable rural development, and enhancing food security and quality of life.”

In turn, Maryam Dhaen Al Tamimi, Acting Director of the Heritage Department at the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, said: “Hatta Cultural Nights represents a distinguished celebration of the region’s heritage, authentic culture and ancient history, thanks to the various heritage, artistic and entertainment activities it includes, highlighting the handicrafts, rich experiences and unique cultural paths that characterize the city of Hatta, and highlighting its unlimited possibilities that contribute to supporting the strength of cultural tourism in Dubai.” It strengthens the relationship of future generations with the local heritage, and consolidates the national identity in their souls. The festival, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors over 12 days, represents an effective platform for supporting productive families from the people of Hatta, discovering local talents and enabling them to develop their skills and display their creative productions to the public, which is in line with our commitments aimed at strengthening Dubai’s position as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a forum for talents.”

For her part, Maitha Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Sector at the Community Development Authority, said: “The ‘Hatta brings us together’ festival, which we organized during our participation in the ‘Hatta Hatta’ events as part of the ‘Dubai Destinations’ campaign, embodied a clear vision based on placing the local community at the heart of the tourism and economic movement taking place in the region. We were keen for this participation to be a real platform for home-based entrepreneurs from the people of the region to showcase their capabilities and expand the scope of their business within an environment that attracts a diverse audience of visitors.” Emphasizing that empowering the people of Hatta economically and enhancing their presence in major events contribute to establishing an integrated development model that links people and places, and transforms local skills into sustainable economic value that supports the growth of the region and enhances its position as a destination that combines nature, heritage, and the spirit of community.”