Tourism in the emirate was expected to get a major boost from Dubailand, but the $64bn project has been beset by delays and it appears that the scope of the development has been curtailed.
Launched in 2003, the development was to consist of 45 mega projects and 200 subprojects, but in many cases initial work on these projects has yet to begin. One of the main reasons cited as to why Dubailand has fallen behind schedule is that that the development has been slow to complete its basic roads and infrastructure.
Another blow to Dubailand has been the global credit crisis, which has raised questions about how these projects will be financed. One project that has reportedly been delayed due to the credit crunch is Asia Asia, a 6,500-room hotel that is to be the largest in the world, and the centrepiece of the Bawadi development in Dubailand.
With so much at stake, Dubailand is taking steps to deliver a critical mass of projects in as short a timeframe as possible to help give the development some momentum and create a buzz about the project. It is reported that Dubailand has taken over control of some of the projects that have fallen behind schedule and will build the parks themselves.
Despite the delays that have plagued Dubailand, there is optimism that the development will be a success. And even if Dubailand is scaled back, it is still realistic that Dubai will hit its target of 15 million tourists a year by 2015, said Claude Attala, Managing Director, Business Development, NorthCourse, Middle East.
The emirate has a number of other big attractions that have either already been built or on the way, including Atlantis and the QE2. He points out that Las Vegas attracts 44 million tourists a year, but only 30% of these visitors go there to gamble. The remaining 70% of tourists are family visitors. One must also not forget that more than 300 million people live near Dubai, so there is a 'captive audience' says Attala.
destination management company dubai 
