Zac Efron and Jessica Alba star in blockbuster Dubai Tourism campaign

Dubai Tourism has enlisted Hollywood stars Zac Efron and Jessica Alba to star in a glossy new content series promoting the city as a versatile destination with much to offer.

Created by Mother London, "Dubai Presents" comprises a series of movie-trailer-style films. The first is a spy thriller in which Efron and Alba play a sparring, glamorous spy couple. The action, including car chases, fights, speedboat races and more, takes viewers on a journey through iconic Dubai destinations such as the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Al Naseem and overwater restaurant Pierchic. It then continues to Dubai’s sophisticated Jumeirah district before heading out to the desert to Dubai’s adventure capital Hatta.

Further films will take on different genres, yet to be revealed, and all will direct viewers to a content hub at dubaipresents.com where potential visitors can get a personalized plan for their Dubai holiday. The idea is to show off multiple facets of what Dubai has to offer tourists, as travel starts to return to normal after the pandemic. Dubai has a high level of vaccination against COVID-19 and recently received a ‘Safe Travels’ stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). This week, the U.K. has taken the United Arab Emirates off its "red list" requiring hotel quarantine. 

“Dubai is a destination like no other," said Chris Gallery, Partner at Mother, in a statement." Our challenge was to create a campaign which allowed every aspect of it to shine. There isn’t a single piece of content able to convey everything that Dubai has to offer; our solution, the Dubai Presents platform, is hard-wired to be flexible in showcasing Dubai as the ultimate destination.”

The films were directed by Craig Gillespie of MJZ, under COVID-secure conditions. See how the team pulled it off in the behind-the-scenes film below.

“Capturing this all in five days was a logistical challenge, similar to what it must feel like to be in an organized whirlwind," said Gillespie in the statement. "Thankfully, Dubai’s blessed with a litany of great locations to use as a backdrop, together with our leading actors; it made a shoot I’m unlikely to forget in a while.”