Inaugural Global Aerospace Summit oversubscribed as over 1,000 delegates apply to attend this cross industry platform for thought leadership covering the aerospace, aviation and space sectors at the St. Regis Hotel on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island.

Opening the Summit, Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy said the Summit provided “an opportunity to demonstrate the country’s progress and ambition in the aerospace, aviation and space sectors.” He underlined the government’s support for a culture of partnerships spanning the public and private sectors, and added: “As the UAE moves from an economy that has a solid base through natural resource revenues to one that will be sustained in the long-term through a diversified, knowledge-based approach, it is vital that we provide a platform for thought leadership.”

Delivering a state of the industry address to the 700 delegates who were able to secure their place at the Summit, Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO, IATA, praised the UAE’s aviation sector, saying: “Aviation’s importance as a catalyst for growth is well-understood in the Middle East and particularly in the Gulf region, where airports rise from the desert ahead of the demand curve, not behind it. More info

Saadiyat is about to boom. Its museums may have been delayed but its luxury residences are rapidly filling up. Yet a tour of the island chain shows that tranquillity – and the sound of the waves – still rule. Words by John Henzell, photos by Christopher Pike

Sun seekers enjoy the Monte Carlo beach club on Saadiyat Island. Christopher Pike / The National

For an island that was terra incognita to almost everyone in Abu Dhabi only three years ago, Saadiyat is about to experience a population surge normally reserved for gold mining boomtowns. It is about to become Abu Dhabi version 2.0: the city’s new public face to the world through the cultural district museums on which the capital is staking its tourism credentials for the decades to come.

Even today, Saadiyat’s beach is a place where you can stand in the warm evening breeze and hear a soundtrack that disappeared from life in the capital nearly a generation ago: the rhythm of waves lapping on a natural beach. Just three years ago, this was a sound enjoyed only by the gazelles and by the occasional hawksbill turtle looking for an undisturbed location to bury its eggs.

A week ago, I joined some long-term Abu Dhabi residents for a kind of housewarming for one of the first occupants of the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort’s adjoining residential apartment blocks and villas. Heading to the beach, it was the waves that stunned everyone. Ever since man-made Lulu Island was completed in 1992, sheltering the newly reclaimed expanse of the Corniche, that simple natural soundtrack has been missing.

Besides the St Regis’s 259 apartments and 33 villas, providing a permanent population to offset the hotel’s transitory residents, 254 beach villas – all already sold – are due to be handed over this month.

The first three apartment blocks in Saadiyat Beach Apartments are due to follow by the end of the summer, with another three due at the start of 2013.

This year was also supposed to see the opening of the Sheikh Zayed National Museum, to be followed by the Louvre and the Guggenheim in 2013: the three institutions that would turn Saadiyat into a cultural centre of world renown. The recession, of course, created a hiccup in the development process – now resolved – with tendering for the Louvre project just restarted.

The main contract works for the museum are expected to be awarded late this year, according to a spokeswoman for the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), with a projected opening in 2015. The Zayed National Museum is expected to open the year after, followed by the Guggenheim in 2016.

But while the cultural district may have been delayed slightly, many of the residential parts of Saadiyat’s development continued and are about to come on stream.

Even a year ago, trying to reach the beach was more than likely to be thwarted by a phalanx of guards and gates, leaving the galleries of the Manarat Al Saadiyat as the island’s sole publicly accessible feature.

Now it’s possible to access the foreshore via the St Regis or Park Hyatt hotels, the Monte Carlo Beach Club or even by retrieving a wildly sliced shot while playing a round at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

None of the new developments quite capture the new nature of Saadiyat like the Monte Carlo Beach Club. From being part of a rough and desolate shoreline that attracted both hawksbill turtles and the Gulf’s inexhaustible supply of plastic flotsam, a local version of the namesake Monaco resort has become a beachside haven that many deem to be the most luxurious destination in Abu Dhabi.

It needs to be, because the yearly membership for one person is a wallet-wilting Dh35,000, and that doesn’t even include access to one of the poolside cabanas, which cost an extra Dh750. A day. More info

Dubai: It is now March, but only now is Shaun O’Connor, chief financial officer of Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), ready to flick the calendar to 2012.

* Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News * Construction on TDIC projects continues at Sadiyaat Island in Abu Dhabi. The re-launch of the three Saadiyat Island museums has curbed speculation about the future of the island.

O’Connor, manning the books at TDIC for just nine months, has spent the past few weeks putting the finishing touches to the state-owned developer’s first-ever public annual results. And, he tells Gulf News, TDIC is well placed for the year ahead.

“It’s been a spectacular year, unbelievable for delivery for the company, results exceeded expectations and 2012 is shaping up to be an absolutely spectacular year,” he says.

With total assets of Dh14.5 billion, TDIC will see the delivery of four major residential projects in 2012, standing the developer in good stead for its looming $2 billion (Dh7.35 billion) of bonds due in 2014. “It takes a lot of the pressure off,” O’Connor says.

Meanwhile, the re-launch of the three Saadiyat Island museums — the Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National — has curbed speculation about the future of the island.

GULF NEWS: What was the logic between the new schedule for the three museums?

Shaun O’Connor: The original strategy was to bring all three on simultaneously in 2014, but the new schedule allows each one to come into their own.

So the Louvre Abu Dhabi gets a chance to open, experience a year as a single operating museum, lets us pull in the tourist traffic and let it settle down from an operations perspective before we open the Zayed National Museum, then it opens up and has the same time frame. Then we build Guggenheim.

I can now bring the same tourists to the region three times. Under the original plan, a tourist could come once and from a cultural perspective they wouldn’t have had a need to come back for quite a while.

Is it fair to say that financing was an issue too?

The government of Abu Dhabi does not have fin-ancing issues. That’s a nice statement to make, and there are not a lot of places in the world that are able to make that.

It was a strategic decision by the government on when it made sense to bring these to the market place.

What about the other museums that are planned, the performing arts and the maritime museum?

They are still part of our long term plan, they are not in the next five years of development as it stands today. For us it is more important to focus on the three iconic museums and get them open and operating and stabilised. The government may ask us to bring forward one of those, and if they do we have the capacity to deliver.

There have been different figures bandied around about the cost of these museums, could you give us an idea of the final cost?

I know, but I am not disclosing.

We have a very good idea of what those museums will cost, and that was part of what we took forward to the government, it’s just not a number we’re disclosing.

TDIC was always envisaged as a body that was supposed to operate on its own without being financed. Given the government funding for the museums, is this still the intention?

TDIC operates today on its own, the financing we get from the government is to build very specific projects.

If the government wants us to build a bridge, for example, it pays for that asset and we turn it over to the government to own and operate.

Our job is, for lack of a better term, a ‘merchant builder’ on those projects. The cash flow we get from our operating properties, from the sales and leasing of the buildings that we have built that are commercially based, fund the operations of TDIC.

The museums were never intended to be TDIC operated, these were always government-owned, absolutely iconic structures… Our job is to build them.

A newly unveiled timetable for the opening of Saadiyat Island’s landmark museums promises the long-delayed cultural projects will be completed by 2017.

The capital’s arm of the Louvre Museum is expected to be the first for completion, with an opening date of 2015. The Zayed National Museum will follow with an opening in 2016, and the Guggenheim is expected to open in 2017.

The revised delivery dates come just three months after the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the island’s master developer, said construction on the museums was stalled.

Though delayed, TDIC officials insisted none of the projects had been scrapped. The Louvre and Guggenheim museums were initially expected to be finished by 2014, and the national museum later that year.

“We are fully confident that we will fulfil our promise of delivering the level of museums expected from TDIC, the Saadiyat Cultural District and Abu Dhabi,” said Mubarak Al Muhairi, the general manager of TDIC.

He added that the authority “is ready to plan a new implementation process for the museums”.

The new chronology for the Saadiyat Cultural District centrepieces comes on the heels of an Executive Council announcement earlier this week that budgets and expected opening dates for the museums were finalised.

TDIC and the Executive Council called for a plan with a staggered timetable to allow each museum to gain its own following.

The cultural district is envisioned as the gem of Saadiyat Island, one of TDIC’s flagship development projects, and is advertised as featuring “the world’s largest single concentration of premier cultural institutions when complete”.

The island will eventually house an estimated 145,000 residents and all construction is expected to be completed by 2020. More info

Starwood’s first St. Regis-branded property, the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort Abu Dhabi, opened on December 26.

St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort Abu Dhabi

The hotel, which was initially scheduled to open in November, is the sponsor hotel for the Volvo Ocean Race, which comes to Abu Dhabi on December 31.

“The St. Regis Saadiyat Island has been chosen as the sponsor hotel in Abu Dhabi for the Volvo Ocean Race, perhaps the most prestigious ocean yacht race in the world. This will no doubt be an amazing event for Abu Dhabi in January and is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the Emirate. For us, it will provide great exposure both globally and locally for the hotel,” general manager John Pelling told Hotelier Middle East in September.

The UAE staved off a stiff challenge from the United Kingdom team to narrowly clinch the UK v UAE Challenge Match at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club - The 16th hole 'Seaview'

Led by Khalid Yousuf and the Al Musharrekh brothers, Ahmed and Hassan, the home side won 6.5 to 5.5 in the event, which followed the four-ball, better-ball format. Joel Neale, who recently turned professional, and Alison White recorded the biggest win of the day when they thumped Andrew Coltart and Hayley Davis 5-and-3 to set the tone for the home side on the Gary Player-designed course.

The Al Musharrekh brothers made their presence felt, clinching their respective ties with ease. Ahmed, who plays off a plus-three handicap, combined with Rory Blincow to beat Rod Gilmour and Oliver Carr 3-and-2, while Hassan, paired with James Sayer, accounted for Brogan Townend and Lesley Atkins 3-and-1.

The UAE duo of Lindsay Brown and Franco Botha were too good for the UK pairing of Amy Boulden and Samantha Giles, winning 2-and-1, matching the performance of their teammates, Harley Knight and Dale Marmion, who defeated Jack Singh Brar and Alex Gleeso.

Callum Mills and Eoin Cunliffe further consolidated the UAE position with a slip verdict against James Newton and Ben Anderson.

Bilal Bilaid and Jonny McLeod halved their match with Jimmy Mullen and William Pennington after their match ended all square.

Daniel Hendry, the winner of the recent Sheikh Rashid Trophy, and Sana Tufail suffered a shock defeat against Lauren Taylor and Oliver Walsh, but it did not keep the UAE from victory.

DUBAI.- The third edition of Abu Dhabi Art, the leading platform for international modern and contemporary art, has today launched its diverse 2011 programme on Saadiyat Island.

An artwork designed for Bulgari by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid is seen during the Abu Dhabi Art Fair at Manarat al Saadiyat in Saadiyat Islands, Abu Dhabi November 16, 2011. The art fair, showcasing modern and contemporary art and design, runs until November 19. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh.

Abu Dhabi Art 2011 will be housed in the new UAE Pavilion which was designed by Foster + Partners as well as Manarat Al Saadiyat, the Saadiyat Cultural District’s exhibition center, opened since 2009. The huge UAE Pavilion, originally designed for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 has been relocated in more than 24,000 individual parts and was inspired by the golden sand dunes of the Emirates.

Organised by Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (ADACH,) this year’s expanded international programme includes a boutique art fair made up of around 50 prestigious and innovative galleries as well as exhibitions, film screenings, panel discussions and more. This year will also see a larger design platform and workshops with leading practitioners, a family focused ‘Art Zone’ and an exclusive VIP Zone, the Majilis.

“We are delighted to welcome such a large, international audience to Saadiyat Island and the UAE pavilion in the Saadiyat Cultural District,” commented His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC, ADACH and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. “The breadth of the 2011 programme of Abu Dhabi Art allows us to show the world our ambitious plans as a cultural destination and to recognise the extent of what is already happening here.”

“We are delighted that so many artists, galleries, collectors and art enthusiasts find the unique cultural context of Abu Dhabi a fixed part of their annual calendar, and we believe that our multicultural programme offers a truly global perspective. Since the inception of Abu Dhabi Art three years ago, Abu Dhabi has become a recognised destination for both international collectors and for those nearer to home, and some of the world’s leading galleries take to broaden their market reach and international reputation.” More info

ABU DHABI // The Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2011 opened the doors of its new home to guests last night in a lavish event.

The opening attracted aficionados and connoisseurs from around the world to Saadiyat Island to peruse the 50 galleries spread across the two floors of the UAE Pavilion.

This is the first time the event has being held at the Manarat Al Saadiyat art exhibition centre. For the past two years it has been held at the Emirates Palace hotel.

Galleries presented a cross-section of art from New York to London, including a work by Alexander Calder in the Edward Tyler Neham Gallery, which greeted visitors when they entered the pavilion.

It has been a long 11 months and hectic past four days, but organisers of the Fair 2011 were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief as the UAE Pavilion opened on time.

The pavilion, designed by Foster+Partners, was the night’s main attraction.

The dune-shaped structure, originally designed for the Shanghai World Expo 2010, was relocated to the UAE in more than 24,000 parts to be re-assembled within 11 months.

“I was so interested to see the UAE Pavilion because I think it’s amazing it came all the way from Shanghai to here,” said Hind Balfaqeh, an Emirati art buff. “It is really impressive. I am a big art fan, so I’m happy to be here.”

The gallery owner Salwa Zeidan said the pavilion was “just pieces on the ground” a few weeks ago.

“What you see now was done in the past four days,” Ms Zeidan said. “It’s really amazing. People were questioning whether it would be done on time or not, but they have done a miraculous work.” More info

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and Abu Dhabi National Hotels (ADNH) are pleased to announce the opening of Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas on November 1, 2011. Located on the prestigious, natural island of Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas is an exclusive sanctuary of contemporary luxury located on a nine kilometre stretch of environmentally protected white sand beach.

The Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas.

The resort is adjacent to the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and minutes from the city’s prime business district and the Corniche. Catering to both business and leisure travellers, this stylish resort offers spectacular, unobstructed vistas of the turquoise water and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from both restaurants and rooms.

According to Peter Fulton, Managing Director, Hyatt International, South West Asia: “Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas is Hyatt’s first hotel to open in Abu Dhabi. It will embody our global Park Hyatt philosophy of offering our guests personalised, understated luxury and discreet, attentive service in a stylish and elegant ambience. We will also be the first 5-star luxury hotel to open on Saadiyat Island, and are proud of the part we are playing in the exciting Saadiyat story. We look forward to welcoming guests from Abu Dhabi, the UAE and across the world in the coming weeks.”

The stunning island property reflects Hyatt’s authentic and elegant approach to hospitality. In addition to the 306 luxuriously appointed rooms (including 39 suites and four private luxury villas), the hotel also presents a first class array of dining options serving a wide selection of cuisines from around the world: The Park Bar & Grill, The Café, Beach House and The Library.

Resort activities include four generously sized swimming pools, a range of water activities, the beautiful Atarmia Spa with nine spacious treatment rooms, outdoor private terraces, fitness facilities, a tennis court and Camp Hyatt children’s club. More info

From the azure waters of the Arabian Gulf to the emerald lawns of the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, one is immediately struck by spectacular views at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort residences in Abu Dhabi.

* Image Credit: Tourism and Development Company (TDIC) * "I don't know many other residences where one can watch dolphins playing in the surf" says Rashid Al Suwaidi of TDIC.

According to Rashid Al Suwaidi, the Tourism and Development Company’s (TDIC) director of sales and leasing, residents can also look forward to true luxury.

“The residences, which are part of the St Regis hotel and currently for sale, are the first branded St Regis residences in the region and offer homeowners privileges on an à la carte basis,” he says. “These include housekeeping and maid services, an in-residence personal chef and catering, a butler service and personal assistant, secretarial and translation services as well as a car valet service.”

The villas, built on plots ranging from 900 square metres to 1,750 square metres, come with a “fully landscaped garden area and private pool with built-in massage jets, as well as access to the St Regis hotel, spa, health club and high-end shopping complex,” Rashid says. The design of the 32 unfurnished villas currently available on the island “was influenced by Mediterranean-Spanish architecture,” Rashid says. “Inside the villas, traditional displays of Eastern opulence are omitted in favour of exclusivity, modern simplicity and understated luxury.”

Energy efficiency was extremely important in the construction of the villas and each home features “passive solar controls including deep overhangs, deep window insets, exterior trellising over living areas and operable windows for cross ventilation.

“Keeping the hot local climate in mind, the villas were painted a light shade that reflects the sunlight rather than absorb it. Each home’s private swimming pool – which varies in size depending on the villa – utilises salt water, which is far healthier and more environmentally friendly than chlorine,” Rashid says.

Indoor-outdoor living is a main component of the St Regis lifestyle. Large, shaded terraces adjacent to the interior communal areas create flow between the inside and outside spaces and each villa boasts a beautiful private terrace under a pergola in the garden, perfect for al fresco dining.

The pool has a generous amount of deck space for outdoor lounging in the gorgeous winter months and there is even an outdoor shower. The front garden opens onto the street, which creates an inviting feeling among the residents, while the private and staff entrances underscore the exclusivity and luxury of the community.

With regard to the practicality and convenience of living in the St Regis residences, Rashid says, “Saadiyat is a convenient five minutes away from Abu Dhabi’s city centre and in the near future residents can expect public transport to be introduced across the community.” More info