Dubai: The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Google have collaborated to launch the Map Your Dubai: Insider Edition initiative, aimed at supporting the local food and beverage (F and B) sector. This initiative involves local guides, who are volunteers that review on Google Maps, sharing their favorite lists of restaurants and cafes. These lists will then be subject to public voting, which is intended to increase visits and growth for local businesses.
According to Emirates News Agency, the initiative was introduced during a Breakfast Club event at the historic Etihad Museum. The event was attended by Ahmad Al Room Almheiri, CEO of the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME), a part of DET, along with other senior officials, local culinary entrepreneurs, and influential content creators from the regional food community.
Map Your Dubai is part of the From Dubai, For Dubai initiative by DET, which is a community-led movement supporting people, businesses, and ideas that influence daily life in the city. The campaign encourages residents, visitors, creators, and digital communities to discover and recommend Dubai-based businesses. It aims to unite existing initiatives under a single narrative, inviting people to support local businesses and contribute to a more connected local economy.
The initiative allows Dubai's Local Guide community to create curated thematic lists on Google Maps, highlighting the city's culinary secrets and neighborhood gems. Local Guides, who are active users on Google Maps, contribute by leaving reviews, uploading photos, answering questions, and editing location details.
Starting today, the public can explore the 11 insider-curated lists available on the official campaign portal (MapYourDubai.com). They can visit these places via their Google Maps accounts and vote for their favorite culinary lists. Voting begins on June 22, 2026, and continues until July 6, 2026, with the winning Local Guides being recognized on official social channels.
Anthony Nakache, Managing Director at Google MENA, stated, "Map Your Dubai: Insider Edition empowers Google Local Guides to transform their authentic city knowledge into a powerful community movement. We strive to enable and support small and homegrown F and B businesses by providing them with the tools needed to remain competitive and reach new audiences. We are committed, alongside the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, to support the region's F and B business sector."