Place Branding of Dubai in the Tourism Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24917/20845456.22.11Keywords:
brand strategy, city promotion, Dubai, image creation, place branding, tourism trendsAbstract
The article focuses on an analysis of Dubai as a city that, through a carefully planned image strategy, has become one of the most recognizable tourist destinations in the world. The main goal of the study is to present how the city creates its place brand using promotional activities, infrastructure investments, and modern communication tools. The text is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines knowledge from tourism geography, place marketing, and research on spatial perception. The theoretical part discusses the concept of place branding and its importance for the development of urban tourism. The empirical section presents the results of the author’s own research on how Dubai is perceived by tourists. The collected data confirms that the city is most commonly associated with luxury, modernity, and spectacle, but at the same time it is often viewed as lacking authenticity and cultural depth. The article highlights that, despite impressive development, Dubai still faces challenges in building a more rooted and meaningful place identity. The conclusions emphasize the need to strike a balance between visual attractiveness and authenticity in the process of creating an effective and lasting tourism brand.
References
Anholt, S. (2007). Tożsamość konkurencyjna – nowe spojrzenie na markę. Warszawa: Instytut Marki Polskiej.
Chałaczkiewicz, R. (2011). Zjednoczone Emiraty Arabskie: Historia, kraj i ludzie. Pułtusk–Warszawa: Aspra.
De Chernatony, L. (2003). Marka: Wizja i tworzenie marki. Gdańsk: Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne.
Glista, A., Szejniuk, A., Werenowska, A. (2022). Influencer marketing jako nowoczesne narzędzie promocji w branży turystycznej. W: J. Jurewicz, K. Stasiak (red.), Wybrane zagadnienia cyfryzacji działalności gospodarczej, społecznej i edukacyjnej (10–23). Józefów: Wydawnictwo Wyższej Szkoły Gospodarki Euroregionalnej im. Alcide De Gasperi.
Kotler, P. (2005). Marketing. Poznań: Dom Wydawniczy Rebis.
Odeh, M. (2010). The wicked problem of tourism: Economic benefits versus socio‑cultural impacts. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 139. 355.
Piątkowska, M. (2010). Marka i wizerunek jednostki terytorialnej – koncepcja i uwarunkowania. Marketing i Rynek, 1, 13–17.
Podobas, I., Matysek, A. (2019). Kształtowanie marki miejsca na przykładzie polityki Dubaju w latach 1989–2019. Stosunki Międzynarodowe – International Relations, 55(4), 1–20.
Shihab, M. (2001). Economic development in the UAE. W: I. Abed, P. Hellyer (red.), United Arab Emirates: A New Perspective (250). London: Trident Press Ltd.
Zalech, M. (2011). Strategiczne podejście do budowania wizerunku marki turystycznej miejsc. Ekonomiczne Problemy Usług, 75, 155–166.
Zdon‑Korzeniowska, M. (2012). Budowa marki regionalnej na wybranych przykładach województw Polski. Prace Komisji Geografii Przemysłu Polskiego Towarzystwa Geograficznego, 19, 130–141.
Netografia:
Dubai Airports. Our Story: Who We Are. Pozyskano z https://dubaiairports.ae/corporate/our‑story/who‑we‑are (dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Tourism Performance Report December 2024. Pozyskano z https://www.dubaidet.gov.ae/en/research‑and‑insights/tourism‑performance‑report‑december2024 (dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
Emirates. See you in Dubai. Pozyskano z https://www.emirates.com/media‑centre/see‑you‑in‑dubai (dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
FlightConnections. Flights from Dubai (DXB). Pozyskano z https://www.flightconnections.com/flights‑from‑dubai‑dxb (dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
KeyK Project. (2019, styczeń). Promocja i reklama w Dubaju: Gazety i internet. Pozyskano z https://www.keykproject.pl/2019/01/Promocja‑i‑reklama‑w‑Dubaju‑Gazety‑i‑internet (dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
Ministry of Education UAE. Emirates Tourism Council Reviews Progress Made in the Achievement of UAE Tourism Strategy 2031. Pozyskano z https://www.moet.gov.ae/en/-/emirates‑tourism‑council‑reviews‑progress‑made‑in‑the‑achievement‑of‑uae‑tourism‑strategy-2031 (dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
Visit Dubai. Dubai Presents: A Riveting Mystery. Pozyskano z https://www.visitdubai.com/en/dubai‑video/dubai‑presents‑a‑riveting‑mystery
(dostęp: 2025, 30 lipca).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Geographica
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The submission of a paper to be published is synonymous with an agreement to transfer the copyright free of charge from the author to the publisher. The author also agrees to permit the publisher to publish the paper in printed form, open access online form, digital library form and other digital platforms with which the publisher has or will have a publishing agreement. Furthermore, the author agrees to not limit the number of copies that may be printed or issued by the publisher. In the case of co-authored papers, it is assumed that the corresponding author is authorized to represent the remaining co-authors in this respect. Authors are requested to sign a copyright declaration.
