Dubai is a city that is not afraid of ambition. Between pumping billions into positioning itself as a hub for innovation and technology, and spending big on sponsoring activities around the world through state-owned bodies like Emirates Airline and Dubai Duty Free, the city is an attention seeking over-achiever of sorts.
Sprouting up from the desert almost from scratch over the last 20 years, the entire city has a start-up mentality. So it’s no surprise that they don’t spare any expense, or imagination, when it comes to promoting themselves.
This week, the city launches a ridiculously slick online interactive city tour experience called Dubai 360. The website uses a combination of super high-resolution 360 degree panoramic photos, videos, maps and timelapses to give visitors a feel of what it’s like to stand on top of the tallest building in the world, float over The Palm Islands, take a ride on the Metro and sneak a peek inside some of the most luxurious hotels in the world.
Over 500,000 individual photographs were used for the project and it took a team of 30 designers, photographers and coders more than 18 months to complete with unprecedented access to the city’s landmarks. Every city should have something like this. Not just to woo tourists, but to give residents views of their city that might otherwise be off limits to them. Well worth a look.