Anantara the Palm to develop coral farm

Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa will develop a coral farm in the sea near the property as part of its CSR and conservation efforts in the city.

Speaking to Hotelier Middle East, Anantara Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa general manager Jean-Francois Laurent said: “What we want to achieve is to create a coral reef under the over-water villas so guests can enjoy the sea life directly from their room because the floor of the villa is made of glass.”

“The marine life around the Palm is very healthy. Considering that this is an artificial, man-made project, over the years the nature has started returning and there is a lot of marine wildlife near the resort. Now we see stingrays and even turtles in the lagoon so that’s quite nice and we want to develop on that side,” he added.

Work on the coral farm is due to begin after the summer, Laurent said.

“The summer will be too hot to start a coral farm. During the next three months we will finalise the project and then give it a starting date and then a completion date,” he explained.

The coral farm is part of Anantara’s worldwide conservation efforts in communities in which it operates.

"We are very much focused on protecting nature so this is part of it. Obviously in Dubai, it’s a little tuned down because of the location, and it’s a deserted area, so we do whatever we can to develop and protect wildlife," he added.