With Dubai's success story as being the leading commercial and trading hub for the Middle East, Dubai is now focusing on securing itself as the premier tourist destination for the region by the launch of its largest investment project which covers tourism, real estate, hospitality, entertainment, leisure and retail sectors. Dubailand transforms the image of Dubai from dry desert to a vibrant and futuristic city. Dubailand will ideally be located along the Emirates Road, which will provide easy access to it from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah. It will be located 60 minutes from Abu Dhabi, 10 minutes from the Dubai Airport, and 20 minutes from Sharjah.

Dubailand will be built on a 3 billion square foot (278 km²) site and will include 45 mega projects and 200 tourism, leisure and entertainment sub projects, making it the most ambitious tourist destination ever created. Dubailand is being created to appeal to the widest audience of tourists, covering all age groups, nationalities and activities. The short range goal of Dubailand is to attract 15 million tourists to Dubai by 2010.

On completion, Dubailand theme park will be twice the size of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, making it the biggest theme/amusement park in the world. Dubailand has been divided into four phases. Phase 1 of the Dubailand project will extend from 2007 to 2010 and the final phase of Dubailand will be completed between 2015 and 2018. A few of Dubailand facilities like the Dubai Autodrome and The Global Village are already operational.

With the multitude of projects being built in Dubailand, there are six themed areas, which focus on different aspects of the Dubailand experience. Each area, referred to as a world, was planned to offer an unforgettable experience for both children and adults.

Attractions and Experience World

This is the Disneyland of Dubailand with water parks, roller coasters and a ski slope, as well as Dubai’s film city. Indeed, Universal Studios will be opening in Dubai, making it one of the most important cities in the world.

Sports and Outdoor World

Golf courses, giant stadiums and the racing autodrome (which is already operational) will all be art of this “World”.

Eco-Tourism World

This theme world contains tropical biotopes, desert safaris, a Science and History museum, as well as a Dinosaur world and an artificial rain forest.

Themed Leisure and Vacation World

A relaxing world of spas, health and well-being, the Themed Leisure and Vacation World will consist of appealing retreats designed to respond to the growing international demand for quality vacation village residences, and themed resort hotels, providing visitors a chance to experience faraway exotic locales without leaving Dubailand.

Retail and Entertainment World

As shopping is one of the essential activities undertaken by tourists on vacation, the Retail and Entertainment World will provide a critical mass of retail facilities providing a wide variety of global brands but also unique boutiques and discount stores, all within the biggest mall in the world - the Mall of Arabia that contains more then 1000 retail shops. The area will also comprise several skyscrapers. Entertainment and dining facilities will complement the retail facilities encouraging tourists to extend the length of their stay at Dubailand, thereby creating further opportunities for purchases. The Retail and Entertainment World will contain a total of 5 projects (Mall of Arabia, Factory Outlets, Auction World, World Trade Park, and The Flea Market).

Downtown

It’s the international shopping complex of Dubailand. The Downtown will also contain many projects like The Great Dubai Wheel, Wadi Walk, and Virtual Games World. The Great Dubai Wheel will be significantly larger than the London Eye, which was recently voted the best tourist attraction in the world. Located in a prime area of Dubailand, the Great Dubai Wheel will further enhance Dubai's reputation as a leading world city. During the exciting journey on the wheel, the visitor will be able to view distances of up to 50 km and hence will be able to see all the wonders of Dubai. Like the London Eye, the Great Dubai Wheel will attract additional visitors to Dubai giving them an ideal opportunity to plan their stay during the interactive ride on the wheel.

Wadi Walk offers a community blending timeless Mediterranean Architecture into ultra modern Dubai. The Wadi Walk apartments constitute a range of ultra modern residences in low rise Mediterranean style buildings lining a flowing waterway. The ground floor of the residences will be retail outlets, cafes and restaurants, and convenience stores. Motor vehicles will be strictly kept to the back of the apartment blocks, and the boats on the canal will be electrically powered to eliminate noise and pollution.