Hosted to lunch on the spectacular 'Bateaux Dubai' sightseeing vessel, the delegates cruised up and down the Creek adjacent to the 1600-acre development. The MECSC delegates were also taken on a land tour of the site along with a multi-media project presentation from aboard the Dubai Festival City marketing barge.
"The response to the project from our peers has been very positive. It's important for our surrounding retail sector colleagues to know exactly what this project is all about," said Phil McArthur, Director of Leasing and Marketing, Dubai Festival City.
"This unique waterfront destination and, in particular, its retail components, will create a point of differentiation amongst all the other developments currently underway in the emirate. Appealing to residents and visitors alike, Dubai Festival City will eventually accommodate over 75,000 people who will come to live, work and play in a world-class waterfront environment."
Primary focus for the tour was given to the project's 1.9 million square feet Festival Centre, the waterfront retail, hospitality and entertainment destination at the heart of Dubai Festival City.
"I'm really impressed by the Dubai Festival City development. It really is a "city within a city" and I can't wait to see it when it's all complete," said Anas Mulla, Group Marketing Manager of Al Hokair, one of the largest retailers in Saudi Arabia.
Geoff Morrison, Managing Director of Concept I, an Asian-based design and architectural firm went even further, describing the project as a 'benchmark for Dubai'. "Just the sheer scale of it is impressive. It truly is a unique development and nothing compares to it in the region," he said.
When complete, The Festival Centre will provide world-class retail, entertainment and hospitality facilities; exclusive residential and office accommodation; and an extensive array of local and international retail brands. The first phase of the centre - 800,000 square feet of large format retail - will open in September 2005 and the remaining 1.1 million square feet will open 12-months later.
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MECSC delegates get taste of Dubai Festival City
- United Arab Emirates: Monday, October 25 - 2004 at 11:55
- PRESS RELEASE
Over 50 regional delegates from the recent Middle East Council of Shopping Centres' 10th annual convention were provided with a unique view of Dubai Festival City during a recent tour of the waterfront 'city-within-a-city' being built on the banks of Dubai Creek.
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About Dubai Festival City:Dubai Festival City is being developed on 1,600 acres on the banks of Dubai's historic Creek. Comprising 15 distinct development zones, Dubai Festival City is a property development by the Al-Futtaim Group and is the Middle East's largest, privately-funded, mixed-use, real estate project.
It will comprise a unique mix of entertainment, dining, shopping, edutainment, sport and leisure facilities, automotive dealerships, hotels, a marina, residential and office components.
The first phase of construction is underway with The Al Badia Golf Resort, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by world-renowned golf course designer Robert Trent Jones II LLC, surrounded by Mediterranean style apartments and town homes, set to open in late 2004.
Its centreplace Festival Centre, the 1,900,000 square foot retail, dining and entertainment centre, set on a Creekside marina, is also under construction. Foundation work will also soon start on the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, an iconic convention hotel situated on the north-west peninsula of the marina.
The recently announced Four Seasons Hotel Dubai is the latest addition to Dubai Festival City. With an initial development cost estimated at Dhs. 700 Million, the Four Seasons Hotel Dubai will have 250 rooms and villas, a destination spa, five restaurants and a range of conference and banqueting facilities. The hotel is scheduled to open at the end of 2006.
Groundbreaking has begun for the first two community schools at Dubai Festival City; of which one will follow the American curriculum and the second the British curriculum. The two schools will be operated by Educational Services Overseas Ltd. (ESOL), and school facilities will include a media centre, science and computer labs, studios, music and lecture halls, playgrounds, swimming pools and prayer rooms. Each school will also have extensive playgrounds and a running track.
For further information, please contact:
Bassem Terkawi
Public Relations and Events Manager
Dubai Festival City
Tel: +974 4 213 6187
Fax: +974 4 2851185
Bronia Stewart or Jonathan MacPherson
MCS/Action, PO Box 20970, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel - +971 4 3902960
Fax - +971 4 3908161
Posted by Christine H. Andersen, Assistant News EditorMonday, October 25 - 2004 at 11:55 UAE local time (GMT+4)
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