Dubai has announced it will build a US$5 billion ($7 billion) moon-shaped luxury resort called ‘Moon Dubai’ in a move to boost the city’s tourism sector.
The new project has been designed by Canadian architectural company Moon World Resorts Inc. and will be a whopping 224 metres high. The destination resort will offer a 10-acre lunar colony for guests and have 300 residential Sky Villas for sale.
Moon Dubai will feature a private club, spa, events centre, a ‘moon shuttle’ and a training hub for space agencies. The resort is expected to open by 2027 and it’s estimated that it will bring in 2.5 million guests annually.
The mega-project is designed for space tourism enthusiasts, by providing the thrills of space from the comfort of Earth. Moon World Resorts Inc. said that Moon Dubai will bolster the economy, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, attractions, education, technology, and the environment of the United Arab Emirates.
Michael R. Henderson, co-founder of Moon World Resorts, said: “Moon Dubai will be the largest and most successful modern-day tourism project within the entire MENA region, doubling annual tourism visitations to Dubai based on its global appeal, brand awareness, and unique multiple integrated offerings. It can comfortably accommodate 10 million annual visitors.
“(It) will significantly impact every aspect of the emirate’s economy, including tourism, transportation, commercial and residential real estate, infrastructure, financial services, aviation and space, energy, MICE, agriculture, technology, and of course, education. It will firmly plant the UAE flag into the forefront of space exploration.”
The architectural firm announced last year that a similar lunar resort will be coming to Las Vegas.
With nearly identical features as the Dubai project, the Moon resort in Vegas will be a US$5 billion mega-project featuring a casino, luxury hotel, concert hall and multiple lounges. The Las Vegas resort will feature over 46,000 square metres of convention space, a nightclub and luxury suites to cater to 10 million guests.
The project will also feature 90-minute excursions to the Moon’s lunar surface (the hotel of course, not the actual Moon) and an exploration of its active lunar colony.
