His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved Sunday six new projects in the city of Hatta as a part of its development plan.
The projects include a 5.4km-long chairlift, a sustainable waterfalls project, a hotel, and hiking trails to the highest peak in Dubai, Jebel Umm Al Nisour, at 1,300 meters.
The cable car route, known as a Telefrik in European areas, will pass over the Hatta Dam Lake and the Upper Dam Lake for the hydroelectric power station.
The departure station for the cable cars will be built on an upper platform over the Hatta Dam.
The waterfalls project, known as The Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project, will use the slope of the upper dam to design a natural-looking waterfall. The water will be recycled collecting it at the end of the stream and pumped back to the top of the dam.
Also, to support domestic tourism in the city, people residing in Hatta are now allowed to build 200-holiday homes.
According to Gulf Business, tourists in Hatta increased from about 60,000 in 2016 to a million in 2020.
The Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai said “In 2016, we started our development project in Hatta. Tourists doubled from 60,000 to one million in 2020, and the new projects by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority will provide 500 jobs for young people of Hatta. The new holiday homes will provide an annual income of more than Dh100m for the people of the region.”
Sheikh Mohammed added that “Hatta is a model for small cities in the region. It has turned within a short period of time into one of the most important tourist destinations in the emirate, thanks to its different lifestyle. The development and tourism projects in Hatta will have a significant impact on promoting national tourism and providing a distinctive tourism and cultural experience for visitors and the community.”
The two projects, ‘Dubai Mountain Peak’ and ‘Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls’, were announced in early January, and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority are expected to implement them.
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