Dubai’s positioning as a hub for international talent and commerce returned to the spotlight when British actress and model Amy Jackson arrived in the city for Beautyworld Middle East, the industry event where she gave an interview touching on the emirate’s growth, its residents and its business environment. Her remarks, delivered on the sidelines of the trade show, speak to how the city markets itself as both a family destination and a base for creative and commercial enterprise.
Jackson, whose career spans modelling, Indian cinema, fashion and beauty, framed the city’s development as continuous renewal layered over tradition. “It just keeps changing and getting better and better. So every time is like a new experience, but it’s built on tradition. It’s built on a beautiful culture,” she said. She described the social fabric in similar terms: “I love the fact that it’s an ever-growing society. It feels massively metropolitan.”
For anyone tracking how cities compete for talent and investment, her observations centre on the people who make that environment function. “I think it’s the warmth of the people here. Everybody is very inspired, and they’re very motivated,” she said. She extended this to the entrepreneurial class, arguing that residents themselves drive the city’s commercial momentum: “I think it’s the people who are living here and wanting more and being inquisitive and curious, and wanting to push the boundaries and see what they can do and see what they create.” In her view, this energy makes Dubai a natural base for beauty brands, fashion entrepreneurs and content creators.
Her professional schedule in the city also yielded a commentary on where the beauty industry is heading. Speaking at Beautyworld Middle East, Jackson said the sector has moved beyond simply selling products toward building communities and giving consumers a sense of belonging. “The brands that are doing very well are the brands that involve the community,” she said, citing interactive campaigns, workshops and immersive experiences as the models that work.
Her personal history with beauty informed that view. Raised in Liverpool, she grew up surrounded by women who expressed individuality through makeup, skincare, hair and nails. “It’s a form of self-expression and self-worth,” she said. That outlook has carried through a career that includes collaborations with major beauty houses such as L’Oréal, Armani, YSL and Prada, and she remains committed to an unstructured approach to the field. “I’ve always had that mindset that it’s about feeling good and having fun,” she said.
Beyond work, Jackson outlined why Dubai has become a recurring choice for family holidays, citing convenience and the breadth of entertainment on offer. “But every holiday we get, we are like, okay, kids, Dubai. We’re like, yes, because it is just so easy, so straightforward, and fun,” she said. “There’s always something new for the kids to do, and keeping them entertained, and also taking care of the adults at the same time. There’s something for everyone, everyone, which I love.”
That balance between ambition and ease is, in her account, what keeps drawing her back to a city she says never gets boring, for work or for leisure. Readers looking for the original interview can find it here: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/amy-jackson-on-dubais-charm-a-city-of-endless-fun-for-families-and-boundless-ambition-for-creators-1.500725098
As her repeated visits suggest, the city’s pitch to visiting professionals rests on a combination of reinvention, community-minded branding and a lifestyle that accommodates family commitments alongside commercial ones. On the evidence of her remarks, that pitch is landing. Whether the next edition of Beautyworld Middle East draws an even broader roster of international names remains an open question.