Second phase of Healthcare City project launched

Phase two of the Dubai Healthcare City project has been launched, and includes plans to target three- and four-star hotels as well as five-star properties.

Phase two, which covers an area of 22 million ft2, will cost between AED3-5 billion, (US $817mn – $1.136bn).

Dubai Healthcare City Authority deputy chairperson and executive director Raja Eisa Al Gurg noted that the second phase “would contribute to shoring up the national economy, adding that the City would further contribute to promoting the status of the UAE as a tourist media hub, especially in the Emirate of Dubai”.

Hotel owner and developer Action Hotels is to pay US $15.7 million for a freehold plot of land in Dubai’s Healthcare City, where it plans to build a three-star, 240-room hotel for patients, friends and families.

A quarter of the project will be dedicated to medical and health services, with a further 25% being made up of hospitality and retail shopping.

Expanson plans of Dubai Healthcare City will facilitate the drive to promoting the emirate as a destination for medical tourism.

The second phase of the project was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, WAM has reported.

During a recent roundtable debate hosted by Hotelier’s sister title Arabian Travel News in partnership with Arabian Travel Market, Dubai Healthcare City head of strategy & partner development Dr Fatma Al Sharaf noted that currently 12-15% of its patients are medical tourists: “We’ve seen about 1.2 million patient visits in DHC in 2013. Most of our medical tourists come from GCC countries,” she said.

Talking more specifically about phase two, Al Sharaf said: “We are looking and conducting very thorough studies on the types of wellness that is really required in Dubai, and the types of experiences that patients are looking for.

“In addition to that, as per the directions of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, we’re not only looking to attract top notch five-star hotels with expensive rates but also at other three- and four-star hotels that are already incorporated into our master plan for phase two, which is about 20 million ft2.”

The full roundtable debate can be read in the April edition of Arabian Travel News.