Annual Report 2008-2009 - Emirates.com

Creek extensions, and finally linking some of
the major upcoming commercial and tourism
projects such as Dubai Maritime City, The Palm
islands, The World and The Waterfront, as well
as neighbouring Sharjah. The target is to carry
three million passengers in the first year.
While the city’s transport scene is going up a
gear, architectural standards continue to reach
new heights with the ‘topping out’ of the Burj
Dubai, the world’s tallest tower, and the opening
of Dubai Mall next door.
Burj Dubai, which became the tallest man-made
structure in April last year, is due to launch
officially in late 2009. Among its features will
be the 175-room Armani Hotel, which will be the
last word in pampering with its 40,000-squaremetre
spa. On completion, the skyscraper will
have used 330,000 cubic metres of concrete,
39,000 metric tonnes of steel bars and 142,000
square metres of glass.
The city’s new retail heavyweight, Dubai Mall,
located in the shadow of Burj Dubai, contains
1,200 outlets including a Fashion Avenue with
70 signature stores. It is as much a tourism
attraction as a retail centre, with its shark and
fish-filled aquarium, innumerable restaurants
and an ice rink.
The surrounding Downtown Burj Dubai district,
developed by Emaar Malls Group, has changed
dramatically in the last year. Mirroring the
Burj Dubai is The Address, a five-star hotel. A
pedestrian bridge walkway splits the two, linking
Dubai Mall with the ethnic Souk Al Bahar.
Standing at 900 feet tall, Dubai Fountain serves
as the centrepiece of the 30-acre Burj Dubai lake.
Emaar has also been busy at Dubai Marina Mall,
which opened at the turn of the year complete
with 160 stores including a 26,000-square-foot
Waitrose supermarket.
Another high-profile landmark which has
changed considerably in the last 12 months is
The Palm Jumeirah, where the Atlantis hotel
opened to celebrity-studded fanfare, and 900
homes at the Marina Residences were handed
over in April.
A new monorail is operational, carrying
passengers daily between Gateway Station at
the trunk of The Palm Jumeirah and Atlantis’
Aquaventure Station on the crescent.
The Palm’s developer, Nakheel, also expects
to hand over 2,200 villas and townhouses at
Jumeirah Village by the end of the year.
The imperious QE2 sailed for the last time, into
Port Rashid in November, and work continues
apace on her conversion into a luxury hotel,
whereupon she will be permanently moored
alongside The Palm Jumeirah from 2010.
Despite the credit crunch, Dubai’s hotels
recorded 6,996,449 guests and posted revenues
of AED 15.25 billion in 2008, up 15 per cent on
2007, according to the Dubai Naturalization and
Residency Department (DNRD). The number of
inbound and outbound travellers exceeded 6.6
million during the last quarter of 2008.
The UAE was recently ranked first for regional
tourism in the World Economic Forum’s Travel
and Tourism Competitiveness Index.
More attractions are looming on the horizon.
Universal Studios Dubailand promises visitors
from around the globe an extraordinary
opportunity to ‘ride the movies’. The park’s rides
and attractions will feature the latest technology
and leading edge special effects, designed
to transport visitors into the middle of their
favourite blockbuster motion pictures, such as
Jurassic Park and Waterworld. Three unique
Sesame Street-themed entertainment venues will
also be part of the first Universal Studios theme
park in the Middle East.
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Burj Dubai, the world’s
tallest building
Market Day at Jumeirah
Beach Residence