The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Google
announced today the launch of Map Your Dubai: Insider Edition, an initiative to
support the local F&B sector.
Local guides, a global community of volunteers who write
reviews on Google Maps, will be sharing their favorite lists of restaurants and
cafes, followed by public voting to drive more visits and growth to local
businesses.
The initiative was launched during an exclusive Breakfast
Club experience at the historic Etihad Museum, attended by Ahmad Almheiri, CEO
of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises
Development (Dubai SME), part of DET, and other senior officials, homegrown
culinary entrepreneurs, and influential content creators from the regional food
community.
Developed as part of From Dubai, For Dubai, DET’s
community-led movement to support the people, businesses, and ideas that shape
everyday life in the city, Map Your Dubai encourages residents, visitors,
creators, and digital communities to discover and recommend Dubai-based
businesses.
By bringing existing initiatives and acts of support under
one shared narrative, the campaign invites people to choose local, share the
stories behind the businesses they love, and contribute to a more connected
local economy.
The Map Your Dubai initiative empowers Dubai’s passionate
Local Guide community to build highly curated, thematic lists directly on
Google Maps, spotlighting the city’s best-kept culinary secrets and
neighbourhood hidden gems.
The Local Guides are active users on Google Maps who shape
the platform by leaving reviews, uploading photos, answering questions, and
editing location details.
The public is invited to explore the 11 insider-curated
lists consolidated on the official campaign portal (MapYourDubai,com),
exploring and visiting them directly through their personal Google Maps
accounts, and casting their votes for their favourite culinary lists.
Voting will open on June 22, 2026 and will remain open until
July 6, 2026, with the winning Local Guides celebrated across official social
channels.
Commenting on this initiative, Anthony Nakache, Managing
Director at Google MENA, said, “Map Your Dubai: Insider Edition empowers
Google Local Guides to transform their authentic city knowledge into a powerful
community movement. We are driven to enable, support small and homegrown
F&B businesses by equipping them with tools they need to stay competitive
and reach new audiences. We are deeply committed alongside the Dubai Department
of Economy and Tourism to support the region’s F&B business sector.”
Almheiri said: “The Map Your Dubai initiative reflects what
makes Dubai distinctive: a city shaped by the diversity of its people,
cultures, businesses, and experiences, and strengthened by the partnerships
that bring them together. Through From Dubai, For Dubai, and in collaboration
with Google, we are building on Dubai’s long-standing approach to community-led
storytelling, from #MyDubai to MyDubai Communities, where residents, creators,
and visitors play an active role in shaping the narrative of the city. This
initiative also builds on previous collaborations with Google to highlight
Dubai’s offering through digital discovery and community participation. It is a
strong example of how public-private collaboration, digital platforms, and
local voices can translate discovery into real economic value for Dubai-based
businesses. By increasing visibility for local F&B concepts and homegrown
brands, Map Your Dubai reinforces Dubai’s position as a global gastronomy hub
and the best city to visit, live, and work in, while supporting long-term
resilience and sustainable growth aligned with the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33.”
-TradeArabia News Service