Dubai has an ambitious plan to become a global brand, and it starts with hospitality. The emirate already brings in nearly twice the tourist spending of London, hosts world-class events and is home to what many consider the world’s best airline in Emirates. Dubai’s ruling sheikh, Mohammed bin Rashid, also launched his Dubai Economic Agenda which aims to double the size of the economy over the next ten years. All of this in a place that is rapidly running out of space.
The Dubai brand, therefore, is likely to see a signficant expansion through hospitality as there are plans to take the two biggest luxury brands, Jumeirah and Atlantis, and bring them to some of the most important global markets to grow a foothold, including the US, UK, China and India.
If brand Dubai can find itself more front and center in these key feeder markets, it can start to grow comfort and open doors to more investments and partnerships. The move may also open even more investment and travel to the entire region.