Dubai Tourism partners with TikTok for #thisisdubai campaign

GCC users of the world’s leading short-form mobile video application share their unique Dubai stories for a chance to win an exciting holiday to the city

Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has concluded the regional #ThisisDubai social media campaign, hosted in collaboration with the world’s leading short-form mobile video application, TikTok. As part of the partnership, TikTok, which is available across 150 markets, created bespoke AR stickers with exclusive Dubai themed music inviting participants to capture striking aspects of the city. Calling on the platform’s expansive base of storytellers from across the GCC, the campaign received an overwhelming response of over 30 million video views on the campaign page and 9.8 thousand videos created, with posts showing users enjoying ‘only in Dubai’ experiences across the city, or destination videos with the campaign’s themed music, helping them to tell the story of Dubai. With the competition wrapped up, the two winning entries will be awarded an exclusive holiday package, with first prize winning a two-night stay at Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, and both first and second prize winning shopping vouchers from Mall of the Emirates and tickets to experience the incredible La Perle by Dragone show. 

The campaign had the support of the department’s network of industry partners, with stakeholders creating bespoke video content as well as hosting a variety of influencers which, in turn increased participation from audiences across the GCC. Participating partners included Mall of the Emirates, Ski Dubai, Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, Palazzo Versace Dubai, La Perle, Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis, The Palm, Burj Khalifa, Platinum Heritage, Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo, VR Park, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Rove and Vida Downtown Hotels, Skydive Dubai, Uber, Fairmont the Palm and JA Hotels & Resorts. Building on the success of the campaign, many stakeholders created their own TikTok account which will play host to additional engaging destination content, showcasing Dubai’s unique offering to target audiences in the future.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said: “In an age where shareable bite-sized content is the new social currency, Dubai Tourism makes it a priority to ensure we diversify our channels beyond traditional mediums to reach our target segment, using programming that is most appealing to them. Our partnership with TikTok is testament to the success of this approach, and through #ThisisDubai, we encouraged tourists from the region to share what makes the city unique to them by highlighting their favourite Dubai experiences. TikTok’s robust global reach, combined with the emirate’s growing destination appeal, further highlights our ongoing efforts to work with relevant industry partners to deliver initiatives that are truly on the pulse of consumer trends.”

Reaffirming Dubai’s ongoing commitment to extending the growth potential of one of its leading regional tourism drivers, the campaign showcased the city’s world-class propositions and exceptional experiences on offer for GCC travellers on one of the world’s trending social platforms. Serving as an integral component of the department’s marketing strategy, the #ThisisDubai campaign successfully engaged its target audience by harnessing the power of user-generated content and organic distribution.

Boxia Liu, Head of MENA Operations, TikTok added: “TikTok is committed to building a community by encouraging users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos, and this was evident from the overwhelming response to the #ThisisDubai campaign. We believe that the campaign has successfully captured the spirit of the emirate and really brought to life the many attractions it has to offer by empowering people to quickly and easily capture and share moments that matter in their lives from their smartphones.”