Revealed: the best Dubai Twitter accounts to follow
Time Out Dubai's Twitter account @TimeOutDubai is the top account account to follow for those of you living in the city or planning what o do on a visit. But aside from the latest news, reviews and stories on what's happening in the emirate, there plenty of other profiles worth following. Check out our suggestions below:
Entertainers
1) @1magicphil
Time Out Dubai Kids’ favourite Magician. He posts info on his upcoming shows and pantos, so parents know where they can bring the kids to see him. With approximately 17.4k followers, his Twitter profile information reads, ‘The UAE's king of kidz comedy. As seen on RoyaTV.’
2) @LSLofficial
The former member of British pop group Steps now resides in Dubai and is a happily married mother- of-two. In the emirate she is also the principal at Dubai Performing Arts School, a magazine columnist and socialite. She tweets about anything from getting her hair done at the salon to attending events to nostalgic moments from the 90s and 00s to her 56.2k followers. Lisa joined the site in June 2010.
3) @TwoToneDXB
Moroccan rap artist, Two Tone, claims to be ‘Doin' it Xtra Big’ on his Twitter biography. The Best Dubai Act from Time Out Dubai’s Music & Nightlife Awards 2015 joined in June 2012 and is based in Dubai. He shares with his 49.4k followers, latest music videos, retweets fans and posts photos of his travels around the world on personal appearances and gigs.
4) @DJBliss
He joined in November 2008 and at the time of writing has 19.2k followers. Real name Marwan Parham Al Awadhi, DJ Bliss presents his own Channel 4 FM radio show, ‘Mornings with Marwan and Eve’, he’s the founder of Bliss Inc Entertainment, has his own barbershop, runs The Real Flava booking agency and has acting credits to his name. So expect plenty of action on his feed as he tours the globe.
The Royals
5) @HHShkMohd
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has a whopping 4.5million followers on Twitter. His account features both English and Arabic tweets detailing his public engagements and official announcements. He joined the site in June 2009.
6) @HamdanMohammed
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum joined in March 2010. He tweets pictures and words to go along with his special outings, as well as wishing his 1.16milion followers happy holidays and comments on important social moments such as the Dubai World Cup.
The really useful accounts
7) @dubaitourism
This is the official account of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. The people behind it share important developments with projects in Dubai and shares UAE news throughout the day. They first began tweeting in August 2012 and now have 58.8k followers.
8) @DXBMediaOffice
This is the official Twitter feed from the Government of Dubai Media Office. They joined the micro-blogging website in May 2009 and tweet in Arabic as well as English. Expect to see them sharing pictures of celebrities skydiving to Sheikh outings if you follow them. At present they have 441k people glued to their updates.
9) @emaardubai
This account allows you to keep up to date with the latest news, events and property launches from Emaar. They are the people behind the Burj Khalifa, malls, plus hotels and residences in Dubai so press the follow button to see updates on forthcoming buildings in the city, plus events taking place. They currently have 5,331 followers.
10) @dubaiexpo2020
The official account of Expo 2020 in Dubai has already reached 354k followers after being created in November 2011. With a few years to go until the big event, you can follow them as they post about the World Expo from other regions as well as developments with its Middle East arrival.
11) @trafficdxb
If you’re out Dubai roads regularly or infrequently, this is a great account for traffic updates. Drivers around the city contribute with their observations which are eventually shared by the account’s managers Javed Khamisani and Allianz Hosting.
12) @DubaiCulture
The account, created in August 2009 has approximately 71.4k followers. Check them out for tweets on public libraries, art and exhibitions information, plus news updates on events such as Dubai Design Week.
13) @RTA_Dubai
Follow them for information on anything such as parking tickets, how to apply for a new number plate, and public transport announcements. With 306k followers, the account is popular with those needing to get around the city. They even inject a fun pop quiz every now and again with questions such as ‘how many cabins does #dubaitram have?’.
14) @DubaiAirports
Created in January 2010, Dubai Airports owns and manages DXB and Al Maktoum International (DWC) airports. The helpful account directs people to how to reclaim items that may have ended up in lost and found, important information on what to do before flying plus retweets of interesting insights from people at one of their two locations. They currently have 181k followers.
15) @DMAuthority
The official Dubai Maritime City Authority Twitter posts ideas for beach watersports, weather news which may affect those out on the water plus how to stay safe on the waves. They began tweeting in September 2011 and post in both English and Arabic.
16) @Dubai_Ambulance
Written in both English and Arabic, Dubai Ambulance, posts advice on topics such as coping with the heat and also directs its approximate 12.2k followers to its Facebook and Instagram pages for further posts.
17) @DEWA_Official
The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, is described as a ‘Sustainable Innovative World-Class Utility’ and the official Twitter account was created in June 2010. It’s important to follow DEWA for up-to-date details on things such as holiday opening times, tips on saving energy and what their staff are getting up to.
18) @CustomsUae
Follow UAE Customs for news on how they operate, including their shift to online and mobile services. The verified account was created in February 2012 and has 9,620 followers.
19) @EmiratesID
Follow Emirates ID for information on their customer service hours as well as information such as how they are changing the IDs. They also refer followers to their help page for anyone needing more information about applications.
20) Dubai Weather (@Dxbweather)
21) Dubai Jobs (@JobsinDubaicom)
Things to do
22) @AlserkalAvenue
Dubai's arts and cultural hub, located in Al Quoz, contains 20 galleries and creative spaces. Their page was launched in March 2011 and they showcase locations such as A4 Space and The Jam Jar.
23) @difc
With 152k followers to date, the Dubai International Financial Centre’s Twitter page was created in June 2009. The description details them as the ‘onshore finance and business hub connecting the region to the world, and the world to the region’.
24) @mydowntowndubai
This account is all about the part of town that is home to the Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Fountain and The Dubai Mall. They ask tweeters to follow them to keep up-to-date “with all the beauty and events Downtown Dubai has to offer”. The Twitter page opened in December 2010 and currently has 62.9k followers.
25) @TheDubaiMall
This account claims to be ‘Dubai's first tweeting mall’. With 1,200 stores and attractions inside The Dubai Mall, there’s plenty to keep up with from the page which launched in August 2009.
26) @DubaiFilm
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) may be an annual event but the people behind it tweet throughout the year in the lead-up to the December occasion. Expect posts about the latest flicks in Dubai cinema from the leading film festival in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and even tweets about the Academy Awards.
27) @ArtDubai
The Twitter account for the leading art fair in the Middle East & South Asia opened in March 2009. They represent more than 90 galleries, ‘the Global Art Forum, commissioned projects, Campus Art Dubai & more’. Why not become one of their 63.2k followers?
28) Skydive Dubai (@SkydiveDubai)
29) Dubai Marina Mall (@DubaiMarinaMall)
30) Madinat Jumeirah (@MadinatJumeirah)
31) Dubai Racing Club (@DRC_Meydan)
32) Dubai Outlet Mall (@DubaiOutletMall)
Media
33) Dubai 92 Radio (@Dubai92)
34) Virgin Radio Dubai (@VirginRadioDXB)
Charity
35) Noor Dubai (@NoorDubai)
The influencers
36) Becky Balderstone, founder, RIPE (@Ripeme)
37) Gabi Kurz, Executive Wellbeing Chef, Talise Nutrition (@TaliseNutrition)
38) Gary Rhodes, celebrity chef, Rhodes W1 and Rhodes Twenty10 (@GrosvenorHouse)
39) Greg Malouf, celebrity chef, Clé Dubai (@CleDubai)
40) India Abadee, International co-ordinator at Nth Degree Club (@NthDegreeClub)
41) Jason Atherton, executive chef, Marina Social (opening in 2015) (@_SocialCompany)
42) Markus Thesleff, Founder, Whissle Hospitality (@OKKUDubai)
43) Massimo Vidoni, Truffle Man, Italtouch (@TrufflemanDubai)
44) Matt Wade, Roastmaster, Coffee Planet (@MyCoffeePlanet)
45) Niki Robinson, F&B Director, Taj Dubai (@TajHotelDubai)
46) Olly Wood, band member of Hollaphonic (@OllyWoodUAE)
47) Paul Frangie, food consultant and model (@PaulFrangie)
48) Sally Prosser, blogger, My Custard Pie (@mycustardpie)
49) Sarah Bladen, blogger, On Cloud Zen (@sarahbladen)
50) Arva Ahmed, blogger and founder, Frying Pan Adventures (@fryingpantours)
