A travel journey through the eyes of El Gato to discover the 4^th most visited city in the world: Dubai, Where the World Celebrates

Recently, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) launches its latest global campaign ‘Where the World Celebrates’ featuring football star and one of the most respected football players: Karim Benzema. The UEFA Player of the Year and latest winner of the famous Ballon d’Or embarks fans and travellers on a journey through the landmarks of Dubai, and invites them to to celebrate the world’s largest football event with an array of festivities and events taking place from November 20^th to December 18^th 2022.

To celebrate Karim Benzema’s involvement in the Where the World Celebrates Campaign, the campaign shows the “Benzayala”, inspired from the famous “Ayala”. The “Ayala” is a traditional cultural dance performed by Emiratis as part of special celebrations and is part of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The “Benzayala” is a combination of Benzema’s surname and this traditional dance, with his own twist to it as a celebratory move performed when an achievement is accomplished – like scoring a goal.

Karim Benzema commented: “The largest football tournament in the world coming to the Middle East for the first time is a huge milestone in the history of football. As the region has very enthusiastic football fans, it is really exciting to be part of the action. Dubai has an amazing energy, which I think comes from the incredible mix of nationalities that live here. For this campaign, I had the chance to work closely with both Emiratis and expats who choose Dubai to be their home. I liked the concept of the campaign which is having everyone united to celebrate football.”

Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “As the city welcomed 7.12 million international visitors in first half of 2022, Dubai is firmly on track to achieve its tourism goals for 2022 and beyond, and further reinforces its position as an international destination of choice. Dubai has a history of world celebrations with the recent EXPO 2020, which recorded more than 24 million visitors and the very first MICHELIN Guide Dubai launched in June this year. Now, football enthusiasts and visitors traveling in the region this winter are invited to discover Dubai’s hot spots and celebrate together during this festive time.”

Dubai will be hosting a number of events for football fans to catch the action such as the FIFA Fan Festival^TM, which is organized by FIFA and BudX, one of six international FIFA Fan Festival events in the world, hosting 10,000 fans per day set against an iconic vista at Dubai Harbour, the extraordinary seafront district. There will also be many public viewing spots for every visitor and citizen in Dubai, including Sports Village, Irish Village Al Garhoud, Madinat Jumeirah, Irish Village Studio One Hotel, Five Hotel JVC, Zero Gravity, Terrance Arena (Intercontinental DIFC), The Dome – Caesars Palace, and much more. Also, Expo City Dubai will host family-friendly ‘Fan City’ ready to welcome visitors of all ages to celebrate the unifying power of sport, with two unique zones in the form of the family-friendly Jubilee Park and a more deluxe experience at Al Wasl.

Dubai’s recent selection as the world’s most popular destination, the No.1 destination for ‘City Lovers’ in the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards 2022 speaks volumes to the city’s endless appeal to diverse audiences from around the world.

More info:

BUDX FIFA Fan Festival^TM : Tickets are priced at AED 100 for non-VISA card holders and AED 78.75 for VISA Card Holders (20% discount). Detailed info at this link.
“Where the world celebrates campaign” can be found at this link.
Detailed information about Visit Dubai can be found at this link.
Where to watch all the football games in Dubai can be found at this link.