Dubai: With more than 200 nationalities living and working in Dubai, the emirate has learned to successfully cater to other cultures and clinch the title for the best city in the Middle East for cultural interactions in 2020.
According to the latest publication issued by the Institute for Urban Strategies – Mori Memorial Foundation, Japan, it has recently ranked Dubai first in the region and sixth globally in cultural interaction on the Global Power City Index 2020. The cultural interaction factor measured the performance of cities in terms of trendsetting potential, tourism resources, cultural facilities, availability of visitors’ amenities and international interaction.
Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (DCA), said: “This global achievement for Dubai comes in line with the Authority’s strategy and efforts to position the emirate as a global centre for culture, a coveted destination of choice by all arts and culture enthusiasts, a beacon of cultural diversity for international talent, and the epicentre for creativity and cultural dialogue. This is a celebration of Dubai’s rich cultural heritage and a consolidation of its position as the largest intellectual meeting place for various cultures in the region.”
The Global Power City Index ranked over 40 major cities based on 70 indicators across six categories, which included included the functions: economy, research and development, cultural interaction, livability, environment and accessibility. In the report, the cultural interactions’ factor also rated cities by their level of attractiveness in shopping options, number of foreign residents, tourist attractions, and number of international conferences.
“Based on its belief in cross-cultural collaboration, Dubai Culture harnessed its capabilities to develop distinguished strategic partnerships that would strengthen the emirate’s global footprint. These efforts helped confirm the emirate’s advanced global position, surpasses many cities that are renowned for their heritage and cultural status,” said Badri.
She also pointed out that Dubai Culture is proactively working to spread Dubai’s culture across the world and promote its ‘Made in Dubai’ creative products and, thus, reinforcing the emirate’s distinct cultural identity to further strengthen its global reputation as a resilient nation capable of overcoming all challenges.
In overall ranking, Dubai jumped from 19th place in 2019 to 17th in 2020 in the Global Power City Index 2020. London held the top spot for 2020 and came in at first place, followed by New York, Tokyo, Paris and Singapore.
According to the report, it explained that, “London displays its impressive strengths by ranking in the top 3 for 11 of the 16 indicators in this function. Looking at other top 10 cities, Bangkok (#7), Moscow (#9), and Istanbul (#10) each rose in ranking. The change in these cities’ scores are attributed to the revised definition for attractiveness of shopping options in ‘visitor amenities’.”
Top 10 cities for cultural interactions
Image Credit: Antonin Kelian Kallouche/ Gulf News
- London
- New York
- Paris
- Tokyo
- Singapore
- Dubai
- Bangkok
- Berlin
- Moscow
- Istanbul
Source: Global Power City Index 2020