Abu Dhabi's Hudayriat Island opens beach

The long-awaited Hudayriat Island development welcomed its first visitor attraction in just a few hours as a new beach opens to the public.

Located opposite Al Bateen Beach, and reached through a cable suspension bridge previously known as the "bridge to nowhere", Hudayriat is expected to add 30 kilometres of waterfront to Abu Dhabi. It will also later include residential units for Emiratis, along with commercial and leisure attractions.

Far more than just another beach attraction with shops and cafes, the island is planned to host a mixed community themed around culture, coastline living, pearl diving and nature.

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council previously announced that it was looking for cutting-edge ideas for the island, which will be developed over the next 20 years.

Plans to develop Hudayriat were first announced in 2009. However, no signs of development were seen apart from the bridge, which opened to traffic recently.

In 2018, a new boat and jetski slipway opened on the island.

The National