Malibu-style Abu Dhabi beach takes shape

Like Malibu in California and other famous US beaches, trained swimmers armed with binoculars and rescue floats will be positioned on top of giant steel towers that dot the new Abu Dhabi beach resort on the western flank of the capital.

As the one-year project was inaugurated by Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday, the resort appeared to offer even more than the traditional azure water, palm trees, sand and sunshine that attract swimmers to US beaches.

Man-made hills of green grass overshadow the yellow sand in the resort.

Concrete umbrella-shaped shade structures have been erected in defiance of the scorching summer sun, and snake-like but neat stone terraces and alleys zigzag across the hot sand and warm grass.

Large signboards have been put up to list what is allowed and what is not – the taboos include nude sunbathing, alcohol drinking, fishing, playing golf, indecent behaviour, camping, barbecues and cycling.

What catches the eye are the lofty steel watch towers that conjure up images of famous US beaches, which have inspired film directors.

But the trained swimmers here will not be watching for sharks as these fish have never been sighted close to the Corniche, where the beach resort has been constructed along nearly three kilometres of coastline.

"I do not think there are sharks here… these towers will be to keep an eye on the swimmers, especially children," said Hatim Shaheen, Director General of Gulf Contractors Company, incharge of the the project.

The 15m towers have already been erected along Abu Dhabi Corniche beach resort, just a few hundreds metres from the city centre.

Located midway between the Hilton and Sheraton hotels, the resort has cost Dh150 million and includes a well-equipped clean beach, restaurants, cafés, a hotel, a mosque, parks, chalets, and other facilities.

Hundreds of palm tree saplings have been planted along the grassy stretch, which is undergoing a final stage of landscaping and is to be opened to the public next week. The restaurants and other facilities will follow next month.

The project had been due to be inaugurated in April but was postponed to yesterday to allow additional landscaping work to be carried out. "People will not miss enjoying the beach this summer as it will be ready in just a few days," said an engineer at the site. "It will be open free of charge for the first two months but then token entry fees will be introduced by Abu Dhabi Municipality. The beach will be guarded for any abuses and security will also extend to the water to prevent jetskis from coming close to the beach."

Municipality officials expect the beach to be crowded given its proximity to residential areas, its range of facilities, low entry fees and the fact it is Abu Dhabi's first mixed public beach to be under official surveillance.

Although it is an island, Abu Dhabi has been left with limited swimming areas because of massive construction projects. This has forced many people to turn to expensive hotels to enjoy the warm water and sunshine. The capital had a large stretch of beach at its southwestern flank beyond the Hilton hotel before it was reduced in size by the construction of the Dh1.5 billion Emirates Palace on an area of more than 500,000 sq m.

As a result thousands of swimmers can be seen daily squeezed into a tiny beach strip on Ras Al Alkhdar that is less than 500m long. Adjoining that area is the Abu Dhabi Ladies Beach, which dwarfs Ras Al Akhdar and keeps male swimmers off limits and crammed into that strip. The new beach resort lies opposite the man-made palm tree-dotted Pearl Island, which has become a tourism attraction centre as scores of the traditional Arabian dhows shuttle daily between the city's breakwater and the island to transport thousands of visitors.

Around 1km of the calm azure Gulf waters separate the beach from the breakwater. Major construction and entertainment projects have been carried out at the breakwater area, including hundreds of costly villas and houses, the UAE Heritage Village, ship restaurants and the sprawling Marina Mall, one of the biggest shopping centres in the Gulf.

Scores of bulldozers and trucks supported by hundreds of workers spent three months creating the beach, one of the largest public resorts of its type in the region. Hundreds of them in green uniform can still be seen daily toiling to finish the project on time.

The project is the latest in an ongoing massive development programme at Abu Dhabi's Corniche, where Dh2bn had been spent over the past eight years to develop and reshape the road and the surrounding area.

Abu Dhabi has been locked in a drive to expand its tourism sector as part of a long-term programme to diversify its oil-reliant economy. Although it still constitutes a fraction of the gross domestic product and the national income, the tourism sector has recorded high growth rates over the past decade, averaging around 10 per cent annually.

The drive also includes the construction of new hotels to accommodate a surge in visitors and there are plans to add nearly 17,000 hotel rooms to the existing 10,000.

Officials expect at least three million visitors to come to Abu Dhabi in 2015 and five million in 2025.

Estimates by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry show that investment in the emirate's tourism projects will total nearly Dh230bn in the next few years.

Swimmers at the new beach resort will miss not only sharks but waves. Sandwiched between the Corniche road, the long breakwater and the Emirates Palace, the beach and its water look more like a serene blue lagoon than the open sea. A hotel named The Lagoon is being built just behind the beach on the Corniche street.

"This will be an enjoyable place for people and families," said one engineer.

"Those who want more than swimming can enjoy a meal or a drink at the restaurant or a walk on the grass or sand. They can also sit on the concrete seats or on the beach and enjoy the sight of the sea during the day or night. The beach will be lit at night."