As home of the world’s tallest building, the first ‘seven star’ hotel and the biggest indoor snow park on the planet, Dubai has a reputation to uphold. True to form, the glittering emirate state has unveiled its latest ambitious mega-project – to build a 48 million-square-foot temperature-controlled city to house the world’s largest shopping mall.
Dubbed The Mall of the World, the sprawling retail space will be part of a wider interconnected leisure complex that includes a seven kilometre network of climate-controlled streets, the world’s largest indoor theme park and more than 100 hotels and serviced apartments.
Additional projects within the complex include a three million-square-foot wellness area for medical tourists, a dedicated tram network and a large theatre district – taking inspiration from New York’s Broadway and London’s West End.
Plans for the development, which will be built opposite the Mall of the Emirates on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, were announced by the ruler of the emirate, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, on Saturday (July 5).
“The growth in family and retail tourism underpins the need to enhance Dubai’s tourism infrastructure as soon as possible,” said Sheikh Mohammed at the mega development’s unveiling.
“This project complements our plans to transform Dubai into a cultural, tourist and economic hub for the two billion people living in the region around us; and we are determined to achieve our vision,” he continued.
Despite already boasting The Dubai Mall – the largest mall in the world by total surface area – news of the development is likely to further cement the emirate’s position as a go-to destination for leisure travellers.
The project will be undertaken by Dubai Holding, the investment company behind Dubai-based Jumeirah Group. Upon opening, the development is expected to become a year-round destination attracting some 180 million visitors annually.
According to reports, construction is likely to begin imminently although no finish date, pricing or funding information has been released.