In its drive to create new wonders, Dubai is all set to build two man-made islands to attract tourists. It will spend a whopping AED6.3 billion (USD2.3 billion) for the creation of these islands.
Exquisitely christened Marsa Al Arab, these new two islands will span an area of four million square feet and will be built on either side of the Burj Al Arab – the city’s luxury sail-shaped hotel.
Out of the of two islands, one will be dedicated to entertainment and family tourism and the other will feature luxury villas and a private marina, stated news agency WAM. The work will start from next month and is expected to be completed by late 2020.
Marsa Al Arab will feature hotels, waterfront apartments, 140 villas, a marina, a water park and a theatre with capacity for 1,700 people to host Cirque du Soleil, local media reported.
The creation of these two islands are planned by the Emirate as it aims to attract 20 million visitors a year by 2020, when Dubai will host the World Expo 2020 exhibition.
Around 4.6 million tourists visited Dubai during the first quarter of 2017, up by 11 per cent compared to the same period of last year, according to Dubai Tourism data.
Dubai is working on several big projects due for completion in the next few years, which are funded by debt. It is building the World Expo 2020 exhibition site, an extension to Dubai’s Metro system and Al Maktoum International Airport, a new airport being developed on the edge of Dubai, which will serve up to 146 million passengers by 2025.