AlBarakah International Investments, a leading UAE-based real estate developer, has broken ground on its Dh850-million ($233 million) tourist and entertainment destination, ‘Al Qana’, which will be developed on a 150,000-sq-m area in Abu Dhabi.

The project will boast of a 5,000-sq-m aquarium, a 98-berth marina suitable for mini yachts, cafes and restaurants, and three or four-storey furnished apartments which will be available for rent, said the company in a statement.

"‘Al Qana’ is a practical implementation of the civic body’s strategy to provide best-in-class services, recreational and housing facilities in alignment with the Abu Dhabi Comprehensive Master Development Plan and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030," remarked Musabbah Al Marar, the acting director general of Abu Dhabi Municipality.

The project is the first-ever Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model implemented by the Abu Dhabi Municipality and is being jointly developed with the private sector.

International Construction Contracting Company (ICCC) is the lead contractor fro the project which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018.

Saeed Bin Omair, the chairman of AlBarakah International Investments, said the combined efforts of the government and private sector will help open up promising investment prospects that support the move to position Abu Dhabi as a highly attractive destination in terms of economy, tourism, and investment.

Bin Omair pointed out that ‘Al Qana’ is a leading touristic and entertaining project that meets all economic, investment, and leisure standards and specifications.

Extending over 2.4 km, the mixed-use waterfront project is strategically located along Khor Al Maqta, the historic, natural waterway separating Abu Dhabi from the mainland.

Al Qana will boast of the emirate’s largest standalone cinema besides several key amenities including a unique family entertainment centre; a marina; a huge dedicated area for indoor and outdoor sports; restaurants, picnic areas and community shops; a walk path connected by four bridges; and running and cycling tracks, said the top official.

The project will include furnished apartments available for lease and a parking for around 3,000 vehicles, he added.

With no high rise buildings or tower blocks, visitors will have unobstructed views of nearby scenery such as the majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, explained Bin Omair.

The waterfront project is also a few footsteps away from the Ritz-Carlton, one of the finest resorts on Abu Dhabi Island, as well as the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr and Shangri-La hotels, he added.-TradeArabia News Service