From Fred Itua, Abuja
Dubai’s Department for Economy and Tourism (DET) has initiated moves to ensure Dubai echoes in the ears of Africans around the world.
As part of its strategies, the Tourism Department has organised the ground ‘Road Shows’ in Africa, media and stakeholder trips, celebrity campaigns and general publicity.
According to the Department, this has “boosted the global awareness of the Dubai brand, and place them as second to none in hospitality. A key success of Dubai’s awareness strategies can be measured by the impressive ratings the Middle Eastern city has been getting across the global hospitality landscape.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, “Trip Advisor ranked Dubai as the Number One Destination in the world for a 2nd year running and just recently the Dubai Airport was ranked as the busiest airport in the world. The aviation hub, which has consistently outranked all its global peers, including London Heathrow, logged 4.2 million seats in February 2023, according to the aviation consultancy firm, OAG.
“A few projects carried out by DET to maintain this tempo include, the AfroZons Dubai Sound Off, the Dubai Girls trip, Kate and Nedu, Brodashaggi and many other activations, within and outside Dubai.
“But with the difficulties for Nigerians to go to Dubai, the popular tourist destination is looking elsewhere for passengers. Just recently DET brought on board the popular Kenyan artist, Bahati, alongside South African investment banker-turned-singer-songwriter Thabsie as part of the summer campaign.
“The objective of the campaign was to explore the A to Z of Dubai and all the amazing sights and sounds that Africans can enjoy. The celebrities were treated to a week-long experience with all the fun and a host of exciting offers in Dubai set for this coming summer leaving their fans with a very very keen interest to share in their joy.”
Speaking at a media welcome party, Thabsie: “Come here and experience it for yourself because a lot of our views of Dubai are off what we are told. The reality is even better.”
Bahati who came on the trip with his wife -Diana, has kept the internet engrossed with contents of their trip in Dubai. The couple appreciated the team for trusting their brand to be part of the campaign.
“Thank you, Dubai Tourism, for trusting we the Bahatis with this role. I cannot wait for the world to see the magic we have created. With a long list of African celebrities lining up to work with DET, Bahatis and Thabsie make their way to the stage as the newest Ambassadors, telling the story of beautiful Dubai to the rest of Africa.”