At that peak of the financial crisis in Q4’2009 there was an overwhelming negative sentiment on Dubai in the general media.  Almost 95% of all media postings online were negative reflecting prevailing fear  and doubt about Dubai’s debt burdens and its ability to recover .

Since then Dubai has recovered much positive sentiment returning to its traditional image as an international entertainment and commercial hub.  This reflects a strong comeback for Dubai’s prevailing perception and reputation. However,  some worrisome negative associations with Dubai still remain that may hamper recovery to past standings

On an interesting note, the volume of postings and levels of positive sentiment about Dubai on the “social web” far exceeds that of mainstream news media.

In fact, research shows that nearly 90% of all mentions of Dubai on the Internet are coming from social media channels vs. mainstream news sites.   It appears that Dubai has a strong supportive following on the “social web” that the authorities of Dubai could leverage to thwart “Dubai bashing” news sources, clarify misconceptions  and help to spread important communications and positioning from official sources.

The effect is to see desired changes is perception and opinion that would contribute to restore the luster of Dubai’s image.  The authorities of Dubai should look at these findings as an opportunity to educate its residents, citizens, and friends on how to participate in online discussions affecting Dubai and raise awareness on key topics impacting Dubai.

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