Aim of Dubai Creative Economy Strategy

The Dubai Creative Economy Strategy aims to transform the emirate Dubai into an international destination for creativity and the capital of creative economy by 2025.

The Dubai Creative Economy Strategy aims to double the contribution of the creative industries to the GDP of Dubai from 2.6 per cent in 2020 to 5 per cent by 2025.

It also seeks to more than double the number of Dubai-based creative companies from 8,300 in 2020 to 15,000 by 2025, and more than double the number of creators based in the emirate, from 70,000 in 2020 to 140,000 by 2025.

Creative fields

Under the strategy, creativity covers several fields which include:

• publishing
• writing
• print and audio-visual media such as cinema, music and video
• artistic and cultural industries
• cultural heritage museums
• historical sites
• archives
• major cultural events
• libraries
• software and videogame industry.

It also includes design in all of its many variations, whether related to fashion, gaming, software, or architecture.

Measures to achieve the objectives of the strategy

To achieve the objectives of creative economy, Dubai will:

• roll out the requisite legislative, investment and technical framework to support the creative community in Dubai
• provide flexible packages, incentives and advanced creative incubators to maintain pace with the rapid technological developments
• provide a suitable and stimulating climate for creatives to generate added economic value, by integrating creativity with capital investment opportunities with distinguished returns.

Dubai will also contribute significantly to diversifying and accelerating an economy based on knowledge, innovation and creativity.

To further drive this philosophy, the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy will see the launch of an integrated zone for creative individuals in Dubai that provides the requisite components for developing a world-class creative sector in the emirate which enables and empowers talents to compete on the global stage.

Additionally, it will include the launch of the Creative Economy Classification and Measurement Framework, a dynamic new tool that will allow Dubai to measure the scale and impact of its creative economy beyond its contribution  to GDP. It will enable Dubai to take its "creative pulse".

Dubai began the process of promoting a creative economy, a few decades ago with the establishment of expansive and sophisticated creative complexes such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Design District, which saw the creative economy contribute 2.6 per cent to Dubai’s GDP by the end of 2020.

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