Dubai claimed the top spot in the Middle East and Africa, ranking ninth globally, in the best city brands, a Brand Finance report has shown.
The emirate received an overall score of 75.8 out of 100, Brand Finance said in its inaugural City Index report.
Due to its status as a major gold trading hub and shopping destination for jewellery, Dubai has become known as the “city of gold”.
Dubai, the tourism and commercial centre of the Middle East, also performed well across several business and investment parameters.
It ranked number one for future growth potential, second in strong and stable economy, and third, behind only New York and London, as a city of global significance, the report said.
The emirate's economy has bounced back strongly from the coronavirus-driven slowdown. The emirate’s gross domestic product has maintained strong growth momentum, driven by a robust recovery in the travel and tourism as well as retail sectors.
Its economy expanded by 4.6 per cent on an annual basis in the first nine months of 2022, with retail trade accounting for 24.1 per cent of its GDP, according to data from the emirate's statistics centre.
Dubai also retained its position as the world's top destination for attracting greenfield foreign direct investment projects in 2022 for the second consecutive year.
The emirate achieved 89.5 per cent year-on-year growth in FDI projects announced last year, Dubai Media Office said earlier this week, citing data from the 2022 Financial Times fDi Markets report.
The Brand Finance ranking is based on a global survey of about 15,000 people conducted across 20 countries in April to measure perceptions of the world’s top 100 cities.
Respondents were asked about the general reputation and their personal consideration of each city as a place to live, work locally, work remotely, study, retire, visit or invest in.
The UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi, ranking 28th globally, is the second-best city brand in the region.
It was also ranked second in attractive corporate taxation, third in personal taxation, fourth in ease to do business, seventh in being great for start-ups and innovation, and ninth in ease of finding employment.
The UAE, the Arab world's second-largest economy, was ranked top globally in terms of brand performance in September on the back of the government's successful response to the pandemic, Brand Finance said in a report at the time.
Other regional cities in the latest global list include Doha, Qatar (65) and Jeddah (77) and Riyadh (78) in Saudi Arabia.
“Middle Eastern cities have built very strong brands in a much shorter time than many of their European counterparts,” said Andrew Campbell, managing director of Brand Finance Middle East.
“The last few decades have seen an exponential growth of business and investment opportunities across all major cities in the region.
“Efforts to raise the profile of the tourism offering are likely to further increase the familiarity and overall standing of Middle Eastern city brands globally.”
The City Index report named London, with a score of 84.6, the best city brand in the world, followed by New York.
“London’s exceptional performance can be attributed to its global familiarity,” said David Haigh, chairman and chief executive of Brand Finance.
“Knowing a city allows the public to form positive perceptions about it … high familiarity means a deeper understanding of its qualities and a broader reach of its appeal.”
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
'Joker'
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Rating: Five out of five stars
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
