Introducing the 'real' Dubai

For decades, the emirate’s tourism marketing strategy was focussed on luxury resorts and high-end shopping. But the CEO of Dubai’s tourism promotion body, Issam Kazim, says ‘bling’ is no longer the way to attract 20 million visitors by 2020.

The emirate's glitzy side with its sleek restaurants, high-end hotels and luxury shopping malls is no longer the main draw for tourists. Instead, they want to experience the 'real' Dubai and how its residents live.

“People are moving away from being interested in glossy images of staged dots and choreographed poses [of holidaymakers] and are more interested in real content. Real people enjoying real things in Dubai’ he said.