Nakheel previews remarkable tourism entertainment offer at ATM 2008
As part of realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century, Nakheel is creating a range of tourism facilities and attractions, such as The Palm and The World, to resorts, hotels and mega malls, that will define Dubai’s tourism offer for decades to come.
A key part in Nakheel’s strategy is to attract world class entertainment and tourism brands to Dubai. With their participation in ATM 2008, Nakheel announced that a touring Cirque du Soleil show would visit Palm Jumeirah in 2009, unveiled the model of the Worlds of Discovery on Palm Jebel Ali and previewed the opening of Atlantis, The Palm, which opens its doors in September of this year. Throughout the exhibition, a variety of live performances from Worlds of Discovery and Cirque du Soleil, entertained the crowds
ATM began with Nakheel unveiling the model of World of Discovery at Palm Jebel Ali. This major themepark, leisure, hotel and entertainment destination will occupy a section of Palm Jebel Ali known as “the Crown”. The concept master plan includes SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove, and the Crown itself will be reshaped into an incredible island that will take the shape off Shamu, SeaWorld’s famous killer whale. The first of the four themed parks, is due to open its doors to visitors in 2012.
At last years ATM, Nakheel announces its partnership with the world famous Cirque du Soleil to create a purpose built theatre on Palm Jumeirah that will be home to the first ever Cirque residential show outside of the USA and Japan. With performers from Cirque du Soleil entertaining the crowds throughout this year’s ATM, it was the perfect opportunity for Nakheel to announce the location of the 1,800 seat theatre – Palm Mall, the major retail and leisure destination on the trunk of Palm Jumeirah. It was also announced that Dubai will not have to wait until 2011 – when the permanent show will premiere – to see Cirque du Soleil again, as the touring show ‘Alegria’ will come to Palm Jumeirah in Spring 2009.
Performers from Worlds of Discovery joined Cirque du Soleil in the thrilling program of entertainment on the stand and visitors were also able to walk through a recreation of the lost chambers of Atlantis, the signature hotel of Palm Jumeirah, which opens in September 2008. Atlantis, The Palm, will be a key destination in the Middle East – a 1,500 room resort hotel and water theme park, which is a sister hotel of the world famous, Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
As ATM 2008 showed, Nakheel is a major contributor to the ongoing growth of Dubai’s tourism offer. By 2015, Dubai aims to achieve 15 million tourists, and in order to do this, it needs attractions, hotels and facilities that will pull in the tourists. Across its wide portfolio of projects, Nakheel will double the number of hotels currently in Dubai, create 50,000 marina berths, develop 15 million square feet of retail space including a number of mega malls, and add more than 1000 kilometres of waterfront to the Emirate.
