Plans for $230m leisure project in Abu Dhabi announced
The Al Qana waterfront destination is to be built in the Al Maqta canal area of Abu Dhabi
Plans for an AED 850 million ($230m) leisure project in the Al Maqta canal area of Abu Dhabi were on Wednesday unveiled by city authorities and the developer.
A ground breaking ceremony was held for the ‘Al Qana’ tourist and entertainment destination, according to the UAE state news agency WAM.
Al Qana will include a large aquarium – which is set to be the biggest in the UAE, according to local press reports – along with a 98-berth marina suitable for small yachts, cafes and restaurants, and low-rise blocks of apartments available to rent.
Musabbah Al Marar, acting director general of Abu Dhabi Municipality, said the project will include recreational and housing facilities, WAM reported.
The project will span 150,000 square metres along 2.4 kilometres of waterside land and is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2018.
It is being developed by Al Barakah International Investments, which has leased the land from the Abu Dhabi Municipality to construct the project on a build-operate-transfer basis.
“The tourist market is expanding in Abu Dhabi with what Etihad Airways is doing. This is one of the main projects that will put Abu Dhabi on the tourism map,” said Moataz Mashal, Managing Director of Al Barakah International Investments.
