# Abu Dhabi Vies for Spot on Tourism Map



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Abu Dhabi vies for spot on tourism map *

ABU DHABI, Jan 30, 2007 (AFP) - Abu Dhabi, looking to tap into the thriving tourism market in the United Arab Emirates, plans to offer a cultural bonanza rather than follow Dubai in focusing on shopping holidays. 

Centrepiece of the quiet emirate's mega project to lure tourists is the construction of four museums, including a Guggenheim and, perhaps, a local version of the famous Louvre of Paris, as well as an art centre. 

On Wednesday, the projects which will be built on the island of Saadiyat, will be unveiled in the presence of four world-renowned architects, organisers said. 

Other projects include the development of a beach resort at the entrance of Abu Dhabi and turning several natural islands, including Reem, Yas and mainly Saadiyat, into popular tourist destinations. 

Only about 1.35 million tourists visited Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital, in 2006 -- a modest figure which the authorities intend to increase to three million by 2015. 

By contrast Dubai remains the top tourist destination in the Gulf, attracting over six million visitors in 2005 and now making plans to receive about 15 million a year from 2010. 

To cope with its own expected influx of visitors, Abu Dhabi is planning to increase hotel capacity from 11,500 rooms to 25,000 rooms by 2015, according to the government-run Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. 

The emirate is rich enough to do so. It pumps 90 percent of the country's crude oil production of 2.5 million barrels per day, making the UAE an influential OPEC member. 

But it has been seeking to diversify its economy and modernise its image since the death of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan -- the founder and first president of the UAE -- in November 2004. 

The inauguration in 2005 of the Emirates Palace -- a gigantic luxurious hotel built in the shape of a royal palace -- has revealed the standards set by the rich city, which until recently, never liked to flaunt its wealth. 

Encouraged by colossal receipts of oil revenues following the surge in world crude prices, Abu Dhabi has kicked off construction projects representing investments of some 300 billion dollars, with tourism topping the agenda. 

The first of the four museums to be built in the "cultural district" on Saadiyat will be the "Guggenheim Abu Dhabi", which will be the largest in the world among the museums of the Guggenheim foundation. 

In addition to this contemporary art museum, Saadiyat will have a museum for classical art, for which local authorities are negotiating with the Louvre. 

Completing the cultural quarter will be a maritime museum and an Islamic art museum. 

AlDar Properties, a construction company founded by the government of Abu Dhabi in 2004, plans to build 29 hotels -- one a seven-star facility -- on Saadiyat island which would bring 7,000 rooms on to the market. 

It will also feature three marinas which can handle 1,000 yachts, in addition to 8,000 villas and 38,000 apartments that will be available also for foreign buyers. 

About 27 billion dollars are earmarked for investment in Saadiyat, which stretches over 27 square kilometres (10.5 square miles) and sits only 500 metres (yards) offshore. 

Because Abu Dhabi is still inspired by Dubai, it has begun organising international sports events, such as the Abu Dhabi Open golf tournament. 

It will also host on February 3 the first "festival of Formula 1," in preparation for the new season of the grand prix motor racing series.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Abu Dhabi moves step closer to 'desert Louvre' *

ABU DHABI, Jan 7, 2008 (AFP) - Abu Dhabi's "desert Louvre" moved a step closer to reality on Monday as French and Emirati officials sealed a deal to bring the iconic name, and its tourist pulling power, to the Gulf. 

Under the 30-year agreement, Abu Dhabi will pay 400 million euros (525 million dollars) for the Louvre brand name and for hundreds of artworks loaned from the Paris museum for periods of between six months and two years. 

Emirati Tourism Minister Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun al-Nahayan hailed the deal as "an historic step" which will boost ambitious plans for a vast cultural and tourism complex being developed on an island off Abu Dhabi. 

"The Louvre is the cornerstone for our Saadiyat cultural project. Without the Louvre we would not have the courage to plan such a huge project," Sheikh Sultan said. 

The accord was signed by Bruno Maquart of France-Museums and Sheikh Sultan, in his role as head of the Tourism Development and Investment Authority running the project. 

French Culture Minister Christine Albanel also attended the ceremony in the Emirati capital. 

France-Museums -- comprising representatives from the Pompidou Centre, the Musee D'Orsay and France's National Library -- was set up to oversee the development of the project and help counter accusations in France that the Louvre was "selling its soul" by loaning out its prized collections overseas. 

Nearly 5,000 people, including dozens of museum directors, curators and art historians, have signed a protest petition. 

The French parliament approved the plan last October despite criticism from opposition socialists and communists who decried it as a commercial gimmick that will only deprive the Louvre's 7.3 million annual visitors in Paris. 

The deal is part of a broader one-billion-euro cooperation agreement with the French museums agency that will see artworks travel from Paris to the Gulf when the branch opens in 2012. 

France-Museums will also provide help in setting up the collections and training staff. 

The museum will be housed in a 24,000-square-metre (260,000-square-foot) building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. 

Encouraged by the Louvre deal, France is now eyeing the possibility of further cooperation with the oil-rich Gulf state. 

Albanel, who flew over the still-desertified project site in a helicopter Monday, said she had raised with Emirati officials the possibility of further cooperation in the fields of music and archaeology. 

"We would be very happy to see our expertise taken into account in these areas," the French minister said. 

The head of Paris' Cite de la Musique, Lauret Bayle, was part of the French delegation at the signing ceremony. 

Officials said a draft plan to develop other museum projects had been submitted to the Emiratis, though the details have not been made public. 

The Louvre Abu Dhabi is one of five museums to be build on Saadiyat island in the Gulf, a vast complex of luxury hotels, golf courses, marinas and private villas set for completion in 2018. 

The complex is part of Abu Dhabi's plans to secure a larger slice of the Gulf's booming tourist industry.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Louvre Abu Dhabi receives 1 million visitors in its first year *
November 12, 2018
CNN _Excerpt_

The Louvre Abu Dhabi museum has celebrated its first year of activity, during which it has attracted 1 million visitors. The museum opened on Nov. 11, 2017 as the result of a 30-year agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates, in a deal worth over of $1 billion.

International visitors accounted for 60% of the total, with India being the top nationality, followed by Emirati nationals, who are also the most frequent repeat visitors. France, Germany, China, the UK and the US are also among the most represented nationalities, along with countries from the Gulf Cooperational Council (GCC), which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Comparatively, the Louvre in Paris, the largest art museum in the world, attracted 8.1 million visitors in 2017.

Celebrations for the anniversary included a two-day symposium, "Worlds in a Museum," in collaboration with École du Louvre, addressing the topic of museums in a globalized world. A planned concert by British pop artist Dua Lipa was canceled due to rainstorms.

Collaborations with the original Louvre have shaped the first year of the Gulf spin-off, through four major exhibitions. The latest one, "Roads of Arabia: Archaeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia," opened last week and will continue through Feb. 16, 2019. Early next year, "Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age" will focus on Dutch masters with loans from one of the most important private collections in the field, New York's Leiden Collection.

More : https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/louvre-abu-dhabi-first-year/index.html


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Nov 10, 2018 
*How Abu Dhabi Is Building A Legacy Of Leisure*
Forbes _Excerpt_

The Middle Eastern city of Abu Dhabi only has a population of 2.9 million but it has big ambitions. Around 50% of its $215.5 billion Gross Domestic Product currently comes from oil but it has set a target of diversifying this by 2030 and is banking on leisure to do it.

The latest jewel in its crown is Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the biggest indoor theme park ever built. “Three years ago when we announced that we are going to open this theme park in the summer of 2018 it was a target and we have hit that target. Not a lot of people do that,” says Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the park’s developer, government-owned Miral Asset Management.

As we have reported, the Abu Dhabi government covered the $1 billion cost of building the blockbuster park and for most countries it would be their endgame. Not Abu Dhabi as its bold plans are still in top gear.

More : https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/...uilding-its-legacy-with-leisure/#7d17f2c701c7


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