Dubai's latest upscale marina offering unveiled

The modernist blue and white flag logo, was selected as the identity of the 240 metre wide world-class facility, for its universal maritime appeal.

"The ocean blue colour used has obvious connections with water-based lifestyles and is derived directly from the Dubai Festival City identity, strengthening not only the Festival Marina brand, but also that of the overall project," said Phil McArthur, Dubai Festival City's Director of Leasing and Marketing.

Festival Marina will be a key asset in Dubai's growing positioning as an emerging superyacht destination, offering an expansive marine leisure season and a winter of sunny skies away from the wintry chills of the northern hemisphere.

"We intend it to be one of the friendliest harbours in the world with both relaxed and fine dining, shopping and five-star accommodation all readily available. And we anticipate it will play a role in further spurring the region's water leisure industry and lead to an increased number of holiday afloat packages and tour options" added McArthur.

Festival Marina is being designed as a Mediterranean-style super-yacht hub within the iconic 'city-within-a-city- project being built on the banks of Dubai Creek. It will open in September 2006.

"This will be a vibrant waterfront destination in its own right for motorboat owners and visitors alike," said McArthur. "It will bring a lifestyle reminiscent of Cannes and Nice to Dubai with Festival Marina being surrounded by a host of exciting cafes, restaurants and boutiques.

"It will be a preferred meeting place with a back drop of sleek boats, and large motor launches of 25 metres in length or more which are capable of travelling for great distances and at speeds in excess of 40 knots - the type of vessel most would-be mariners aspire to."

At Dubai International Boat Show, Dubai Festival City is meeting with marina suppliers and operators needed to meet the needs of the targeted super-yacht sector, which is growing worldwide at 6% a year, according to analysts.

Festival Marina joins a growing catalogue of leisure harbour facilities emerging around the Middle East, with analysts estimating an additional 5,000 new berths will join the region's marine leisure industry over the next four years.

Festival Marina will have as its backdrop the centreplace Festival Centre, the 2.2 million square feet retail, dining and entertainment centre. Construction is already well underway on Festival Centre and work has also begun on the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, an iconic, five-star conventional hotel on the north-west peninsula of Festival Marina.