DUBAI: An integrated island project for tourism and leisure services at Jumeirah Beach, near Burj Al Arab, was launched on Tuesday by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, was also present at the launch.
Spread over 3.5 million square metres of area, the project will be developed and managed by wasl Asset Management in cooperation and partnership with US-based MGM Resorts International. Development works are expected to commence during the fourth quarter of 2017 and will be completed in 2021.
Shaikh Mohammad reviewed the components of the promising project, and was briefed by Hisham Al Qassim, CEO of wasl Asset Management, and William Hornbuckle, President of MGM Resorts International, on the project’s details. The project will include an MGM-branded hotel and a Bellagio-branded hotel containing 1,000 hotel rooms and apartments, 10 villas, as well as luxurious restaurants and cafés, and a theatre.
During the briefing, Shaikh Mohammad viewed pictures, models, and a presentation on the project’s features, as well as services provided for tourists and visitors from the UAE and abroad.
In addition to the two luxurious hotels, the project includes a building for hotel apartments. The island will also include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, business persons lounge, water fountains and artificial waterfalls. The Dubai Safeer project will be implemented in the centre of island, a 110-metre tower with a capacity of 300. Dubai Safeer allows guests to enjoy 3D sound and light shows with special effects, and another prominent feature is allow the guests to travel to the top of dome, which can automatically retract and allow guests to enjoy a breathtaking view of the city and sea.
The theatre will have a seating capacity of 800 and occupy an area of 80,000 square feet. It will host shows organised by MGM, conferences, festivals and weddings.
The beach club at the island will offer a number maritime leisure services and activities to guests and visitors. Water shows will be organised in the evenings, and club and its five-star facilities is also capable of hosting special honouring ceremonies. The island will be surrounded by a corniche spanning an area of 1.2km that will include cafés, restaurants and retail stores.
The ‘Cave of Wonders’, occupying 124,000 square feet of space, will focus on providing entertainment for children and their families through sports and games that cater to different age groups.
Shaikh Mohammad expressed his satisfaction with the project, and congratulated wasl Asset Management and its strategic partner, MGM, for completing the cooperation and partnership agreement between them. He emphasised his support for this partnership and this unique regional project that will put the UAE in general, and Dubai in particular, among the top tourism countries and cities, and specifically in family tourism.
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Chairman of Dubai Real Estate Corporation and Chairman of wasl Asset Management, said that the entirety of the group’s operations and projects are a reflection of Shaikh Mohammad’s directives, which urges focus on excellence, quality and creating innovative concepts when planning projects developed by the group.
Also present were Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group, James Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International, and other officials.
