Quriyat Development Company (QDC), a joint venture between Omani groups Al Madina Real Estate Company and Space Gulf Company, has laid the foundation stone for an integrated tourism complex (ITC) in the sultanate which is worth nearly $1 billion, said a report.

The main components of the project are divided into three main aspects: tourist, residential and recreational, reported Times of Oman.

The tourist facilities include the setting up of three-, four- and five-star hotels housing a total of 750 rooms, as well as a nine-hole golf course, while the residential space boasts more than 3,000 residential units with freehold space for citizens and expats, it stated.

The recreational side includes a water park and a Boulevard walkway, which includes an entertainment centre with a range of restaurants and cafes, as well as a number of cinemas and an integrated health club.

QDC said the project will be developed in three stages with five years for each stage.

Phase One includes the infrastructure of the project, with 400 housing units on 7 million sq m, as well as a four-star hotel with 250-room and suites covering more than 53,000 m, in addition to a residential and commercial quarter (Boulevard) over 53,000 sq m, along with a state-of-the-art water park and some recreational and commercial facilities with a total area of more than 38,000 sq m, said the developer.

The second stage, the largest in the project, will see the construction of up to 1,200 housing units and a large mosque in addition to a new three-star hotel with a total of 150 rooms.

This stage will also include the establishment of a nine-hole golf club and golf course on a total area of about a quarter million square metres, which will add value to this sport tourism product, it added.

In the third and final phase, a total of 1,364 residential units, including 36 waterfront villas will be developed besides the expansion of the tourism structure, the addition of 150-room three-star hotel and the establishment of a new five-star hotel with 200 rooms.