Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has unveiled a new public joint stock company charged with developing the emirate’s real estate assets and its flagship Saadiyat Island project.

The new company – The Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) – will transform the 27 sq km natural island, just 500 m off shore from the UAE capital, into a strategic international tourism destination.
Saadiyat Island will be developed in three phases from 2006-2018. Half the size of the tropical island of Bermuda, Saadiyat will be the Middle East’s largest single natural island development.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi says Saadiyat’s transformation is a key proposition in the Abu Dhabi government’s strategy of increasing tourism to the emirate from its current level of almost one million to three million by 2015 – a projected growth rate of 11.3 per cent a year.”
Master-planned to differentiate it as a centre of sophisticated elegance in one of the world’s most rapidly developing regions, Saadiyat, the island off an island, will eventually be home to 150,000 residents – a population around the size of Oxford in the UK or Hollywood in the US.
Major development parcels are being offered to Gulf investors on a freehold basis, with non-Gulf investors being offered 99-year leases or 50-year renewable leases.
There will be a variety of freehold homes provided by developers.
Saadiyat will have six distinct districts delivering a multitude of experiences with complementary environments and all connected by a palm-lined arterial freeway. The island will have 19 km of white, sandy beach, two golf courses, 29 hotels with over 7,000 rooms, including an iconic seven-star property, three marinas with berthing for 1,000 vessels, more than 8,000 private villas, resorts set on spectacular beaches, over 38,000 apartments and eight iconic “string of pearl” architectural landmarks housing museums, a concert hall, art gallery and major cultural offerings.
Saadiyat will be linked to Abu Dhabi city via two iconic causeways, each with 10-lane freeways.