Publishing and Advertising

     The Marketing Concept of a German language town Magazine for Dubai/UAE.

1)      The place

2)      The target market

3)      The product

4)      The distribution

1)      The Place

In the last 2 decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of tourists coming to Dubai. Tourism has already overtaken oil as a source of foreign income and has become the most important economic branch. Rom 1993 to 2002, the number of hotels rose from 167 to 272, while those for hotel rooms rose from 9,383 to 23,170. At the moment, there are 31 four- and five-star hotels being built, which will increase the number of hotel rooms by 11,770.

In 2004, 6.5 million tourists visited Dubai. The expected figure for 2010 is 10 million.

Approximately 1.3 million people live in Dubai (of which only 18% are locals). A 7% growth rate in population shows the attractiveness of United Arab Emirates and especially Dubai.

Dubai is noticed all over the world and is also getting more important and attractive for the German speaking tourist sector. In the last few years, Dubai has raised its interest in Germany, through direct marketing and media presence. Spectacular projects like "The Palm" or "Burj Dubai" (the tallest in the world) have further raised this interest.

The number of German tourists was 654,640 in 2004, a 67% increase compared to 2003. In addition to this, there were 119,346 German speaking tourists from Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. This then means that 773,986 German speaking tourists visited Dubai. Considering the short flight time to Dubai, the clean beaches, higher living standards, quiet and secure environment, this figure is likely to go beyond 1 million in 2005.

At the same time, German businesses are also finding Dubai to be an attractive place to invest in:

German Companies in Dubai: 1993:   77                    2004:   241

Jebel Ali Free Zone:                                 4                    2004:   106

In 2004, Dubai overtook Saudi Arabia as the number one trading partner for Germany in the Middle East. This trend will continue in 2005: At the end of 2005, a "German Center" will be ready in Dubai, which will be an ideal place for German companies that want to set up a branch in the Gulf region.

The real estate sector is another important economic factor in Dubai. Since 2002, it is possible for foreign investors to own properties in certain sections of United Arab Emirates and especially in Dubai. Germans, Austrians and the Swiss are particularly active in this sector, with 5% of all real estate buyers coming from a German speaking area.

2)      The Target Group

The target group is German speaking expatriates and employees of German companies, living in Dubai. The main target is short- and long-term tourists to Dubai/UAE, who come from German speaking areas and have purchasing power. Our target readers are in the age group 30 to 70 years old. In the long term, this magazine will be distributed in other Gulf countries and also in German speaking countries in Europe.

3)      The Product

The magazine will be printed monthly. It will be a practical, informative and intelligent guide for Dubai/UAE. It will provide information about Dubai/UAE to its readers, through different sections. The magazine will be divided into the following sections:

a)     Events (5%)

b)     Sport (20%)

c)     Culture (10%)

d)     Restaurants/Nightlife/Entertainment (10%)

e)     Economy (20%)

f)       Hotels (5%)

g)     UAE Properties/Architecture (30%)

4)      The Distribution

The magazine will be distributed as follows:

In the first year, the magazine will be distributed free of charge, to a chosen group of people in the sport, economic and leisure sectors.

Dubai and Sharjah

5* and 4* Hotels - We will work together with the hotels as partners. Each German guest will find a copy of the magazine in his/her room.

Residential Apartments - We will work with real estate agents as partners.

Cafes, Restaurants & Clubs - The magazines will distributed in well-known and famous Cafes and Clubs.