Dubai expects population to surge by 76% over the next two decades

Pandemic or regional competition, Dubai doesn’t plan to slow down.The Middle East’s business and tourism hub has unveiled an ambitious urban plan that predicts population will surge 76 per cent over the next two decades as it eyes growth amid stiffening competition with neighbors looking for life after oil.

 

Dubai aims to boost its beach capacity by 400 per cent and more than double hotels and green spaces in the desert metropolis that attracts millions of tourists each year. An expansion of public transport, economic and industrial zones is expected to help drive new residents into the city, known for its man-made islands.

 

The plan was released as the city reels from the fallout of the pandemic and amid increased competition from the region’s biggest economy, Saudi Arabia, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is driving a strategy to double the size of the capital Riyadh.