Vicky Kaushal has landed in Abu Dhabi and seems to be having fun setting off on a joyride into the Rub Al Khali.
The Bollywood star, who is currently in the UAE capital, has been posting images and videos of his time in Abu Dhabi, which could very well be part of a new tourism campaign to promote the emirate.
In the first set of images posted on his Instagram Story, Kaushal shared an aerial view of the city that gives viewers a glimpse of the corniche, along with the sprawling Emirates Palace hotel complex and the Fairmont Marina Abu Dhabi.
But what really caught our attention were pictures of Kaushal behind the wheel of a Rolls-Royce convertible that suspiciously looks like the Dawn. With the caption, “New place. New experiences!,” Kaushal sets off into the Rub Al Khali to the beats of Cheb Khaled’s ‘Didi’. One thing’s for sure, we can’t fault his taste in music.
“Sand dunes, long drive, nice ride… already in love with this place! @visitabudhabi #InAbuDhabi #TheTimeIsNow,” came the next post from Kaushal, which was also shared by the emirate’s official tourism channel Visit Abu Dhabi.
Kaushal isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last celebrity to be roped in for the emirate’s tourism campaign. In August, Hollywood actor and comedian Kevin Hart promoted Yas Island through his social media talking about heading to the UAE capital “soon” where he plans on riding on the world’s faster rollercoaster, zipping on the Grand Prix racetrack and teeing off in between.
“I don’t just go hard, I go Hart! Work, sports... Even vacations. That’s why on our next break, I ain’t takin no chances. We’re off to the UAE’s spectacular capital, Abu Dhabi, to take over the world’s craziest entertainment destination, Yas Island Abu Dhabi,” Hart wrote in the Instagram post accompanying a video.
In September, neighbouring Dubai officially launched its tourism campaign with the help of Hollywood stars Jessica Alba and Zac Efron. Dubai Tourism’s celebrity-led media campaign was rolled out by the CEO of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) Issam Kazim who told Gulf News at the time that several more trailers featuring the celebrities will be unveiled before the year draws to a close, adding that the films were slated to perfectly complement the Emirates campaign that saw Marvel star Chris Hemsworth invite the world to Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Dubai Tourism CEO further revealed that a lot of thought had gone into selecting the two Hollywood stars to be the face of the emirate on a global platform, which was similar to their efforts that saw them team up with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the past, along with actors Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoe Saldana and Kate Hudson.
“Every campaign that we have launched has resonated with a particular audience. When we teamed up with SRK [Khan], it was to draw focus on Dubai being an ideal destination, not just for an Asian audience, but for a popular industry such as Bollywood to look at the emirate as a place to shoot films,” Kazim revealed. “Similarly, we worked with the African market, followed by a campaign with Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoe Saldana and Kate Hudson that showcased a different aspect of Dubai.”
Kazim continued: “With Zac and Jessica, we are resonating with a wide base of visitors, across young adults, families and thrill-seekers. Our ultimate message is we are open and we are planning on remaining open by working together as a unit to make this happen.”
Kaushal, who is currently batting for Abu Dhabi, has also been in the news lately with the Bollywood rumour mill abuzz that he will tie the knot with actress Katrina Kaif in December.
