One year ago, no one would have expected that the world’s tallest tower known as Burj Dubai would rename itself into Burj Khalifa, in honor of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi. On Jan 4, 2010, Dubai announced the renaming decision for the 200-story, 828 meter tall skyscraper during its opening ceremony. Sources said that this action is to thank Abu Dhabi for the $10 billion lifeline which recently saved Dubai from financial crisis. The renaming decision is also intended to reflect the unity of the federation, according to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, chairman of Dubai’s Supreme Fiscal Committee

High ranking officials from Dubai believe that the success of United Arab Emirates, including both civil and economic progress, is directly led by Sheikh Khalifa, who has ruled Abu Dhabi since 2004 and is also president of the U.A.E.. The new name “Khalifa” should establish good relations between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. With the interesting name as well as the incredible height of the structure, the Burj Khalifa is sure to attract attention and visitors from people all over the world.

When doing renaming, communication is always important. The target audience needs to be informed of the name change as well as the reasoning behind it so as to prevent confusion. In this case, if tourists are not aware of the new name, they may still hope to see the “Burj Dubai”. Hopefully the Dubai city government has given adequate attention to communicating about this renaming in order to build brand recognition surrounding the world’s tallest building.