The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in partnership with e-hailing service, Hala has launched ‘Soul of Dubai – Cultural Experiences’, a storytelling project that seeks to highlight the emirate’s cultural and artistic landmarks among residents and visitors.
The project, launched in line with Dubai Culture’s efforts to activate the city-wide #DubaiDestinations initiative, aims to bring together the creative media community to shed light on Dubai’s rich culture and encourage residents and visitors to explore the city’s cultural attractions and authentic traditions.
The first phase of the project will see Hala, a joint venture between Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Careem, promoting various unique cultural experiences in the emirate through different channels.
Videos presented by Dubai Culture will be broadcast on smart screens inside ‘Hala’ taxis featuring engaging content about various experiences riders can explore in the emirate ranging across fashion, music, arts, food, heritage, literature and performing arts.
The project aims to reflect the city’s rapid growth and portrays its cultural richness, unique identity and distinctive heritage. It also comes in line with RTA’s efforts to achieve its cultural vision of enhancing the emirate’s position as a global center for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.
Hala Badri Director General Dubai Culture
“At Dubai Culture, we always seek to establish partnerships with public and private entities in Dubai in order to develop innovative projects and services that enhance the economy and quality of life in the emirate, in line with the National Innovation Strategy that aims to strengthen the UAE’s position as a global innovation hub. These projects also fall within the framework of Dubai Culture’s strategic roadmap 2020-2026, which seeks to enable participation and cement Dubai’s position on the global cultural scene.”
The project will contribute to supporting Dubai’s creative community by allowing them to develop creative content that promotes Dubai’s rich experiences via its unique destinations. The project also supports entrepreneurs in these destinations, in line with Dubai Culture’s mission and the objectives of the #DubaiDestinations initiative.
The #DubaiDestinations initiative was recently launched by Dubai Media Council to highlight the emirate’s unique experiences and activities. The collaborative project brings together government entities, industry stakeholders and the creative media community to highlight the exceptional experiences, events and activities offered by the emirate.
“Soul of Dubai – Cultural Experiences project was developed based on studies about global travel market industry trends. The survey indicated that though 74 percent of travelers plan to go on holiday this year, they will be choosing their destinations carefully. Additionally, cultural experiences are at the forefront of preferred experiences at 58 percent,” Ms. Badri added.
Commenting on the project, Mr. Basil Hovakeemian, CEO of Hala, said, “Our collaboration with Dubai Culture aims to inspire our riders in Dubai to a closer look at the city’s true essence and its unseen hidden gems. We look forward to bringing our customers the many facets of Dubai’s rich cultural offerings through our partnership with Dubai Culture.”
Based on the results of the first phase, the content will be gradually disseminated across all of Hala’s fleet of vehicles. The content and cultural options listed under the ‘Discover’ section on the smart screens will be regularly updated across the rides.
The second phase of the project will feature a more dynamic personal approach, whereby Hala will enable visitors to plan their own cultural experiences and design their itinerary by choosing the destinations they want to explore and the places they want to visit.
