Dubai inaugurated a water canal yesterday after a three-year construction project costing US$735 million, in a fresh boost for tourism and commerce in the booming Gulf city state.

The Dubai Water Canal creates a 6.4-kilometer waterfront in the area running from the city’s growing Business Bay commercial district to the Gulf.

The waterway, between 80 and 120 meters in width, will “add a unique tourist and commercial showpiece” to the city, said the emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority chief Mattar al-Tayer.

RTA said that three bridges were built and that the project launched in October 2013 would provide “a new residential district, tourist attractions and recreational facilities including several hotels, restaurants and entertainment.”

It will add a new shopping center, four hotels and 450 restaurants to the city, according to local media.

Dubai, which drew 14 million tourists in 2015, aims for 25 million visitors a year by 2020 when it hosts Expo 2020.

The emirate has also started work on a skyscraper that when completed in 2020 will stand above its Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest tower at 823 meters.

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