Dubai launches travel influencer academy: Your need to know
Dubai has launched a travel influencer academy aimed towards bringing more high-quality content to your feed.
The new initiative, titled the Beautiful Destinations Academy, Powered by Dubai, hopes to 'set new global benchmarks' for travel content as well as help creators with the business side of being an influencer.
The academy is the latest scheme designed to bring more influencers to the emirate following the launch of a special content creator golden visa and a Dhs150 million government support fund.
Established by Visit Dubai and Beautiful Destinations, the academy will attempt to bring 'structure, credibility and accountability to a previously informal field of work'.
In its launch statement, the academy pointed out that 76 percent of travel decisions are now influenced by social media content and the hope is that graduates will be able to produce more high-quality content encouraging visits to Dubai.
The Dubai travel influencer academy curriculum
Budding content creators will learn valuable marketing lessons as well as creative and commercial skills while enrolled in the programme.
The Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing outlined the following key modules:
Mastery of audio-visual content creation across multiple platforms
Cinematography, shots and movement including sequences and transitions
All aspects of post-production from editing and grading, to narrative, music and sound design
Emerging technologies and VFX including AI-assisted content creation and CGI
Strategic understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement
Tourism industry knowledge and destination marketing principles
Professional ethics and business acumen
Students will get hands-on mentorship from top creative and professional experts in the travel sector.
Graduates will be awarded with a certificate of participation from Dubai College of Tourism.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Visit Dubai), says that the academy should boost Dubai's global appeal.
He said: 'The launch of this innovative programme with Beautiful Destinations is a testament to our commitment to fostering creativity, innovation, and excellence in the tourism sector.
'By providing a dedicated space for content creators, we aim to amplify Dubai's global appeal and further solidify our position as the best city to visit, live, and work in.
'This aligns perfectly with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, and our vision to make Dubai a leading global city for business and leisure.
'Thanks to a diverse range of offerings and experiences, Dubai provides an unrivalled platform for capturing creative, engaging content, and we look forward to working with Beautiful Destinations and content creators from around the world to amplify their storytelling globally.'
The Dubai golden visa for content creators
The influencer golden visa has been rolled out following the 1 Billion Followers Summit in January 2025.
A Creators HQ was established at Emirates Towers to assist up to 10,000 content creators in their pursuit of long-term residence.
It means that online personalities will be able to live, work and create in the UAE without the need for a sponsor.
Content creators are able to apply for this golden visa via the Creators HQ website. This application will be reviewed and your eligibility will be assessed under the Golden Visa criteria – Content Creators and Creative Talent Category.
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