Dubai speeds up promotional drive with biggest-ever London taxi advertising campaign

The high-visibility taxi campaign will run for 12 months and utilizes fully-liveried cabs transporting passengers through the streets of London.

Nine different holiday themes are being popularized among the UK travelers who have endorsed their choice of Dubai being their dream holiday destination for long and short breaks.

The DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, said:

"We remain as aggressive as ever before. We are constantly exploring newer growth opportunities as the emirate's rapidly-expanding tourism industry. We are pursuing an ambitious growth agenda. Our strategy is to consolidate our position in established source markets while exploring emerging markets. Our communication strategies have been designed to reflect the sweeping changes that Dubai is undergoing."

The tourism-focused media initiatives comes on the back of unfaltering interest in Dubai among the UK holiday makers and solid year-on-year growth in Dubai hotel guests from this important European market.

The DTCM Director Operations and Marketing (DTCM), Mr. Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, said: "The London Taxi campaign is a major initiative designed to further promote Dubai among the UK holidaymakers and offer them insights into different themes of breaks that our destination offers."

"Dubai enjoys high credibility and demand in this crucial market. This campaign will help us further consolidate our strong position. The new campaign will generate more business for the tourism industry which has expanded in the recent times," he added.

The current year is projected to record substantial increase in the number of UK holiday makers compared with the 2004 figure of over 600,000 guests.

Travel industry has also confirmed the huge increases in booking for Dubai holidays ahead of the start of the holiday season which covers Christmas and New Year celebrations.

There are 115 scheduled flights from the UK to Dubai every week and the demand has remained consistent throughout the year.

The new taxi campaign includes advertising both on the interior and exterior of the vehicles.

The DTCM Manager Media and Advertising, Mr. Ahmed Al Tunaiji, who is supervising the campaign, said: "The London Taxi campaign is unique in many ways and is said to be the biggest-ever booked by a destination. We anticipate Dubai remaining a 'moving message' in London for the next 12 months through this innovative initiative."

The key themes, based on the broad range of features and attractions which visitors to Dubai can enjoy, are: Holidays in Dubai - Where Tradition meets 21st Century, Hotels in Dubai - Where Luxury meets Leisure, Deserts in Dubai - Where Hospitality meets Hideaway, Golfing in Dubai - Where Sport meets Serenity, Beaches in Dubai - Where Sunshine meets Seascape, Tours and Safaris in Dubai - Where Thrill meets Tranquillity, Shopping in Dubai - Where Couture meets Classical, Water Sports in Dubai - Where Excitement meets Escape, Bird Watching in Dubai - Where Spectacle meets Sanctuary.

This is said to be the biggest-ever advertising campaign booked for the London taxis, both in terms of the number of cabs and duration.

London is covered in its entirety with the selected cabs criss-crossing the metropolis day and night, thereby generating huge interest in Dubai among the London's multi-cultural residents and visitors.

The global travel industry too had an exposure to the initiative as the World Travel Market (WTM-2005) participants used the Dubai branded taxis. The themes of this striking campaign truly reflect the full product diversity which Dubai offers to tourists.

The advantage of using London cabs is that you can reach the whole of Central London in a way that is unachievable using other media. This way of communicating the beauty of Dubai and the richness of its culture creates a strong impact. It also provides a way for potential customers to respond directly, using the contact details which are displayed on branded tip-up seats and receipts. Select images of Dubai are also displayed inside the taxis.