The second edition of the Dubai Destinations winter campaign was launched at an event on Sunday, organised by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO).

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Mona Al Marri, Vice-President of the Dubai Media Council and the Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office, said: “We are doing this to connect with content creators. They need the support, and they need to have access to events and venues. Brand Dubai’s main objective is to support creativity and to bring the creative industry together.”

She said that Dubai is a city that is growing every day with many new activities and that this needs a creative eye to share it with the public. Speaking about the theme of Dubai Destinations which focuses on ‘The Land’, ‘The Sky’ and ‘The Water’, Al Marri said that the concept is to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors and to learn about all the activities that they can be part of.

“We want people to not only spend time indoors but to also enjoy the outdoors. We’re trying to emphasise this lifestyle in Dubai. People sometimes don’t know about activities happening outside,” she said.

This year, Destinations Dubai will see more collaborations with the private sector, she said, adding “They saw the value of last year’s campaign and so they wanted to do more collaborations in terms of facilities and events.”

She said that when the idea of Dubai Destinations came up last year, people questioned why it was needed, after all, many websites were already talking about the city, but she had a different perspective. “This is for the talented people who can convey the message differently to the world. It’s not us promoting Dubai, they can talk about the city as a beautiful destination in their own way,” she said.

During the event, which was attended by media and content creators, Shaima Al Suwaidi, Acting Director of Brand Dubai, told Khaleej Times that previous campaigns have seen a lot of social media engagement. “People were happy to take part. We also encouraged others to take part in this campaign. We discovered some destinations and activities through the hashtag,” she said adding that their goal is to promote the hidden gems, the unique experiences and the fascinating destinations in Dubai.