Source: What’s On

A few decades ago, few could point out Dubai on a map. Then, all of a sudden, the city started to make a lot of splashes and it became the newest "must-visit" destination. However, that's not all there is to Dubai. Even today, Dubai is still considered as one of the fastest growing cities on the planet. Now Dubai is making another big splash by announcing that the city is planning to build more man-made islands.

The project is from the same global investment company that funded and bankrolled some other known projects in Dubai.

The new two man-made islands are planned to flank the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel, the sailed shaped structure that has become an icon of Dubai. The cost of the projects is estimated to reach $1.7 billion. The additional islands are said to increase the city's coastline by 1.5 miles.

According to a spokesperson from Dubai Holding, the parent company that handles the funding, construction will begin in June. The target completion time is the year 2020, the same year in which Dubai is expecting a flood of visitors because of the World Expo 2020 exhibition.

Source: The National

The new islands are officially named as Marsa Al Arab and will add 4 million sq. ft. of new space in Dubai. According to an article from Reuters, one of the two islands will have a theater which is planned to be the home of the Middle East's Cirque du Soleil. The new islands will also feature 300 apartments, a marine park, and several family-friendly resorts. A marina, a boutique hotel, and 140 luxury villas are also included in the plans.

According to a recent CNN report, the new structures will bring 2,400 new hotel rooms. These new rooms will be fine additions to The Jumeirah Group. The said group is majority-owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai.

Source: The National

Most people know that the Masa Al Arab is not the first man-made island to be constructed in Dubai. For example, the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah is sitting on an island constructed back in 1994. There's also the Palm Jumeirah, a series of man-made islands specially designed to appear like a palm tree when viewed from above. The Palm Jumeirah was constructed from 2001 to 2006. Nowadays, Palm Jumeirah is home to hundreds of private residences and approximately two dozen hotels.

There's another man-made structure that also created a big splash years ago. The plan was to create 300 luxury islands. However, much of the islands remain vacant even today.

Decades ago, Dubai had a massive problem as the oil reserves within the city's territory were depleting. Without the oil, Dubai would stagnate, and there was a possibility that it would become a ghost town. The Ruler of Dubai started to parley the last of the oil income to make Dubai a tourist destination, on top of being a destination for entertainment, finance, and tourism. Nowadays, Dubai's oil income is a mere 2% of its total GDP. It seems like Dubai has made a great transition from an oil-funded city to the Middle East's biggest tourist destination. And why stop there? Adding two new islands seems to be a great idea.