Dubai receives tens of millions of visitors a year and every single one of them is making decisions based on content they see before they arrive. Which hotel to book, which experiences to prioritise, which restaurants to add to the list, which areas to stay in. That decision-making process is driven almost entirely by digital content, and the brands that show up in that process with compelling, authentic material win a disproportionate share of attention and bookings.
I film a lot of travel content in and around Dubai and I have a pretty clear sense of what works and what gets ignored. This is that.
What Travel Audiences Are Actually Looking For
Travel content consumers are in a specific mental state when they are planning a trip or a staycation. They are dreaming and they are also doing due diligence at the same time. They want to be swept up in the excitement of a place or an experience, and they also want their practical questions answered. What is the check-in like? What does the room actually look like versus the photos on the website? Is the pool crowded? What is the vibe of the area in the evening?
The most effective travel UGC addresses both of these at once. It creates genuine desire and answers the practical questions that stop someone from booking. That combination is very hard to achieve with a brand-produced campaign video but it is exactly what a good UGC creator produces naturally.
Formats That Work Brilliantly for Travel and Hospitality
Full experience walkthroughs for hotels and resorts are incredibly high-value content. Arriving at a property, checking in, seeing the room, exploring the facilities, dining in the restaurant, hitting the pool or beach. Filmed in a real, natural way with honest commentary this content is effectively a word-of-mouth recommendation from someone a viewer trusts. The length can be longer for this format because the viewer is actively seeking information, not just scrolling passively.
Day-in-Dubai itinerary content works brilliantly for tourism brands, experience operators and the broader visitor economy. "How I spent 24 hours in Dubai" or "the perfect long weekend in Dubai" type content sits very well in organic social and also works as retargeting ad creative for hospitality brands reaching people who have recently searched for Dubai travel.
Hidden gems and honest recommendations are one of the highest-engagement travel formats right now. People are tired of the same five Dubai highlights appearing in every single piece of content. Content that takes people slightly off the well-worn path, that recommends something they would not have found on a TripAdvisor top ten list, gets shared enthusiastically and builds genuine authority for the creator and the brand associated with it.
Seasonal and contextual content has real commercial value for Dubai hospitality brands. "What it is actually like to visit Dubai in summer" content, for example, is searched for constantly and there is a genuine lack of quality, honest content addressing it. Brands that own that conversation, that tell the real story of Dubai in summer rather than the promotional version, build a kind of credibility that converts.
The Unique Opportunity of Being Based in Dubai
Most travel content about Dubai is produced by visiting creators who have a few days to capture everything. The result is content that covers the obvious highlights and misses the texture and personality of the city that makes it genuinely special. As a Dubai resident who actually lives here and knows the city properly, I can create travel content with a depth and specificity that visiting creators simply cannot match.
I know the restaurant that opened six weeks ago and is already excellent. I know which beach is quieter than it should be for how good it is. I know the neighbourhood that tourists never visit but residents absolutely love. I know the hotel that has the best breakfast in the city that nobody has written about yet. That local knowledge is a competitive advantage in travel content and it is something I bring to every project.
What Hotels and Hospitality Brands Should Brief
For hospitality clients specifically, the most useful thing you can give me is honest context about who your guest typically is and what they most value about staying with you. The couple celebrating an anniversary. The solo female traveller on a long weekend. The family doing their first Dubai trip. The business traveller who needs a good pool and a great breakfast. Different guest personas need different content and a piece created with one specific person in mind will always outperform generic property content.
Dubai is one of the most visually extraordinary cities on the planet. If you are a travel or hospitality brand here and your content does not reflect that, there is an enormous opportunity being missed. Let's fix it.