Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A rendering of the new $35 billion passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International airport. A few short decades ago, Dubai was ‘a dot in the desert.’ Now a city of more than three million people, most of whom are expatriates, its growth trajectory is staggering.
As is the spending. Currently underway is the $35 billion renovation of the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), approved by Dubai’s leadership in April. The futuristic structure, designed by Leslie Jones Architecture, will replace Dubai International Airport (DXB), already the world’s second-busiest international hub, after Atlanta, Georgia’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
But the UAE is aiming higher. If it opens as planned within the next 10 years, DWC expects to become the largest (and most expensive) airport in the world. Meanwhile, hoteliers are placing their bets, particularly in the luxury category.
By the end of 2024, Dubai will welcome a new Delano Dubai (owned by Accor), a Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab , and a Six Senses The Palm, Dubai (IHG), while Ennismore’s partner brands Rikas Group and Paris Society add five new beach clubs and restaurants to the region. By 2025, the city will unveil a new Gran Melia beach resort, just as SHA Wellness Clinic (famed for its sister resorts in Spain and Mexico) prepares for its 2026 Emirates debut . If you’re thinking ‘Las Vegas on steroids,’ just wait.
MGM Resorts is building its ow.
