New Dubai Brand to help reach target of 20 million annual visits

One year into the delivery of Dubai’s ‘Tourism Vision for 2020’, significant first steps have been taken to achieve the target of attracting 20 million annual visitors by 2020, including several legislative changes to encourage the development of accommodation, and numerous openings of attractions and events.

Reaching this target will now be undertaken under a new brand, with visitors to the recent Arabian Travel Market (ATM) being able to view the new brand, which expresses Dubai’s culture of success and its spirit of rising to any challenge, ahead of a global marketing campaign due to take place later in the year.

Announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the brand will be used by Government departments and bodies, ensuring that the Emirate speaks with ‘one voice’ to its citizens and visitors. 

Following the announcement of the new brand, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed shared the identity on his Instagram account, stating “Dubai’s new brand identity ... will be used to promote our city regionally and internationally. The new brand identity focuses on Dubai being a credible, unique and welcoming destination for tourists and visitors.”

Also previewed during ATM, a new website and app have been designed to inspire and inform at every stage of the consumer journey and help the visitor experience the city to the fullest while in Dubai.  Both the website and the app will be launched in the coming months. 

Another significant step in the attraction of 20 million annual visitors by 2020 has been the formation of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing - an affiliate of the wider Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing - with the mandate of focusing on the international marketing and promotion of the emirate as a leading destination for leisure and business travel.

The immediate focus of the Corporation has been the development of a new marketing blueprint that will further elevate Dubai’s status as a must-visit destination. The approach is based on research into the needs, requirements and wants of leisure and business travellers and a comprehensive review of both how the emirate’s destination offering compares to other leading global cities and how this offering is communicated.

The principle behind the new blueprint is that Dubai has become known around the world as a must-see city; the marketing of the emirate’s tourism offer will now focus on demonstrating that it is a city that must-be-experienced, with a range of remarkable visitor experiences that create an unrivalled destination offer.

Commenting on the new logo, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) Chief Executive Issam Kazim added “the new logo features the word ‘Dubai’ written in both Arabic and Roman alphabets, representing the fact that the city is a fusion of cultures and nationalities – a result of the historic and present day approach of being outward looking and open to ideas from across the globe.

“But the new brand is much more than just a logo – it is a new way of talking about Dubai and a new way of looking at how we will provide value for investors in and visitors to Dubai.

“For DCTCM, the implementation of the brand means inspiring leisure and business travellers with the opportunities on offer in Dubai and continuing to develop the visitor experience. As partners throughout the city adopt the physical elements of the brand they will also be adopting its values and uniting behind a common aim – to deliver beyond the expected and make the experience of Dubai truly remarkable for visitors and residents alike.”

7th May 2014 - DUBAI STATES AMBITION TO BECOME WORLD’S MOST VISITED CITY

4th February 2014 - NEW GLOBAL TOURISM BODY TO MARKET ‘BRAND DUBAI’