Nakheel receives travel and tourism accolade

The Daily Telegraph is one of the UK's leading newspapers.

The opening of Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah's flagship resort, was placed at number six, tied in with the meteoric rise of the Middle East's tourism industry and followed closely at number seven by the arrival of QE2, set to become a floating resort at Palm Jumeirah.

The opening celebration of Atlantis in November saw the entire Palm Jumeirah island and its flagship hotel lit up in a spectacular fireworks display, attended by a host of celebrities and watched by spectators the world over. In an exciting week for Palm Jumeirah, QE2 was welcomed by excited crowds to Dubai six days later.

Once refurbished, QE2 will form an integral part of Palm Jumeirah's tourism attraction where she will become the centre-piece of a residential, entertainment, marina, and hotel development. With these events recognised as two of the most influential travel and tourism events of 2008, Palm Jumeirah enters 2009 on a high.

Johann Schumacher, Managing Director, Palm Jumeirah, said:

"This is a proud day for Palm Jumeirah, which is rapidly evolving from an engineering marvel and iconic landmark into a world-class tourism destination, as shown by the recent Daily Telegraph list. With QE2, Atlantis, the permanent Cirque du Soleil theatre, Palm Monorail and a number of five star hotels opening over the coming years, Palm Jumeirah is set to become the centre for tourism entertainment in Dubai."

Manfred Ursprunger, CEO of QE2 Enterprises, Nakheel Hotels, said:

"After such a warm welcome to Dubai, QE2's new beginning could not have got off to a better start. With plans for the refurbishment of QE2 and the surrounding precinct on Palm Jumeirah to include fine-dining restaurants, a wellness spa and centre, and a luxurious, West-end style theatre, we see QE2 as a top travel and tourism destination for many years to come."

Palm Jumeirah is one of the world's largest man-made islands and home to a residential, tourism, and leisure destination created by Nakheel, a driving force in Dubai's transformation into one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Proudly positioned as Nakheel's flagship development, the glamorous, innovative, and ambitious Palm Jumeirah is a truly unique development which has been at the forefront of Dubai's growth as an internationally recognised tourism and business destination.