While most visitors are familiar with Dubai’s iconic landmarks such as the Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall, the emirate provides more attractions and experiences ranging from a host of desert activities, beautiful beaches, a wealth of water sports, a growing arts and culture scene, to amazing cuisines that span the globe.
Highlighting the familiar, the unexpected experiences that Dubai offers and also conveying the spirit of this exciting global city that is always evolving and other mouthwatering offers are what the ‘See you in Dubai’ campaign has in stock for Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
The Emirates and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) recently launched the new global campaign that celebrates different facets of Dubai.
The $20 million “See you in Dubai” campaign, one of Emirates’ largest to date, is created in partnership with DTCM to reach audiences across the globe, focusing particularly on markets in six continents.
“Dubai is a global hub and a global destination in itself. From Emirates’ perspective, it is our unique differentiator. Our mission has always been to connect the Dubai to the world, and connect the world through Dubai. Our dynamic home city is developing apace, in line with HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Vision 2020. Visitors to Dubai will always discover something new to enjoy and share in the emirate. Last year, Dubai welcomed more than 11 million visitors and our aim is to continue to grow these numbers by constantly enhancing every aspect of Dubai’s destination offering, making our city the top choice for all types of travellers from across the globe. Emirates and DTCM both continually showcase Dubai through every possible touch point – whether at international and industry events, sponsorships or through marketing campaigns. We believe our new campaign will contribute to enhancing Dubai’s appeal to even more visitors across the globe”, Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman/chief executive, Emirates Airline & Group, said.
The campaign also challenges traditional preconceptions of Dubai and shows how modern meets traditional.
For instance, one creative shows a simple fish shack serving fresh ‘catch of the day’ against the beautiful backdrop of the Burj Al Arab – an unusual contrast between a top end resort and a basic dining option which can be found on one of Dubai’s pristine beaches.
The shack, called Bu Qtair, was featured in celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel programme No Reservations, as a culinary find. It was originally part of a fishing village on the seafront.
Another example of a great juxtaposition is a traditional Arabic Dhow cruise featured in the stunning and ultra-modern Dubai Marina. Dhows are very much a part of Dubai’s trading roots and some of these still ply the Dubai Creek carrying goods to and from India, Iran, Muscat and Bahrain.
Dubai’s success as a destination has been the result of many investments in its tourism infrastructure, with Emirates and aviation playing a critical role in this equation.
Aside from providing essential air links for tourism and trade, Emirates is also a staunch supporter of world-class events in Dubai that attract global attention and attendance including: The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7s, The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, and the Dubai International Film Festival, to name a few.
Emirates’ fleet of modern aircraft has now grown to 230 aircraft serving 147 destinations from and via Dubai. The airline operates the world’s largest Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 fleet, offering the latest award-winning facilities in the sky and on the ground.
Emirates is a connecter of people, places and passions and by 2020, it is estimated that Emirates will fly 70 million passengers to and from Dubai.
With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai’s DTCM mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai to global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the Emirate.
DTCM is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector; markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector; and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the DTCM portfolio include Dubai Convention and Events Bureau, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.
Beside its headquarters in Dubai, DTCM operates 20 offices worldwide. Emirates connects people and places around the globe, inspiring travel and facilitating trade across 147 destinations in 84 countries.
On-board its modern and efficient fleet of 232 aircraft, Emirates offers award-winning comfort and service, delivered by friendly cabin crew representing over 130 nationalities. Today, Emirates operates the world’s largest fleets of the iconic A380 and popular Boeing 777s.
On the ground, Emirates connects millions of people each year through its other operations including Emirates Holidays, its destination marketing arm, and tour operator Arabian Adventures. Seamless trade connections are supported through Emirates SkyCargo, its cargo division.
The Emirates Group half-yearly results show steady performance and growth as it recorded $12.9 billion in revenues, despite a challenging environment.
It said despite all odds marked by ongoing health pandemic concerns, regional conflicts, and weakening global markets, its revenues for the first six months of 2014-15 fiscal year was up 12 percent from $11.5 billion from the same period last year.
Net profit for the Group rose to $$607 million, an increase of 1 percent over the last year’s results.
The Group’s cash position as at September 30, 2014 was at $ 4.4 billion, compared to $ 5.2 billion as at March 31, 2014. This is due to ongoing investments mainly into new aircraft and other airline related infrastructure projects. “As the biggest operator at Dubai International, we also took the biggest hit to our bottom line from the 80-day runway upgrading works. However, we had anticipated it and made meticulous plans to minimise impact operationally and commercially for both Emirates and dnata. The success of these plans manifests in our overall growth during this six-month period in spite of the challenge”, the group said.
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