Dubai to content creators: 'Keep telling the real Dubai story'

Dubai: The Dubai Press Club along with the Department of Economy and Tourism and the Dubai Media Office have launched a content creators programme to push authentic stories of the city beyond its skyscrapers and superlatives. 

About 30 creators joined the programme, according to participant Bushra Hamui. Officials from Dubai Media and the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) briefed them on laws, culture and the city’s storytelling agenda. 

Aida Al Busaid, VP of consumer advocacy and social at DET, told creators they are a priority. She explained the sequencing: Dubai spent its first 50 years building infrastructure. The city now has nearly 150,000 hotel room keys. “First we focused on building, now that we have the infrastructure in place we need the stories about it to be told,” she said during the opening address to the room full of creators.

Officials also addressed content rules. DET works with federal and local bodies to keep content aligned with national and city identity. They told creators that their approach is to educate rather than police. Busaid encouraged creators to share Emirati culture directly.

Bushra Hamui, a lifestyle and tourism content creator, who goes by the handle ‘anabushbush’ asked how local creators would be prioritized. She reached 100,000 followers in 18 months with no fake followers, she says. Her advice to newcomers is short: be patient and stay consistent. From this programme she plans to learn the laws and sharpen her professional skills as a certified tour guide.

Creators also got a glimpse of how the Dubai Tourism College works and how they dispel and track various aspects of the hospitality sector. When the college opened in 2017, it was given the task of putting Dubai on the ranking maps of the hospitality and retail sectors. Today with its messaging and positioning Dubai has managed to climb the ranks.

Creators part of this cohort will get to be part of many such workshops where they can strengthen their story-telling and meet with the right people who can deliver the stories waiting to be told about the Emirates.