1. A tourism development and investment company has been formed with a paid up capital of $27.2 million, to aid in the construction of some 4,000 new hotel rooms between 2007 and 2010, and another 13,000 rooms between 2010 and 2015.

2. The completion of the Midfield Terminal Complex at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, valued at $6.85 billion, by 2010 will eventually increase the airport's passenger handling capacity to 20 to 50 million passengers annually.

3. Abu Dhabi is also building up its sports profile. It has a seven-year deal to host the Formula One Grand Prix. From 2009, races will be held on Yas Island, a $40bn development project that will also house a Ferrari theme park. It hosted the European PGA Golf Championship in January this year and also organizes the Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions, the richest professional cycling race in the world.

4. Abu Dhabi launched a Dh11.5bn eco-tourism project, Desert Islands, combining six nature reserves spread across eight islands. The islands are expected to attract 250,000 visitors when the first phase is completed in 2010, rising to over a million a year by 2017.

When fully operational the Desert Islands are expected to generate Dh1.2bn in tourism revenue annually and create around 6,500 jobs.

5. While those should pull in investors as well as tourists, Abu Dhabi still has its traditional haunts like the Al-Hosn palace, which is the oldest building in the city, the cultural foundation, which organizes several international and local art exhibitions and film festivals, power boat racing, scuba diving and wadi bashing.

6. According to official statistics, in 2006, the 71 hotels and hotel apartments in the capital managed to generate 2.3 billion dollars. The hotel occupancy went up from 60 percent in 2003 to 84 percent in 2006.

7. According to Ali H Lakhraim, President and CEO of Millennium Hotels Middle East, Abu Dhabi will become a top business destination in the Middle East over the next three years due to its current economic boom, as well as giant projects launched in the past two years. The company is planning to build 19 new hotels in the UAE over the next three years, with total cost between $2.5 billion and $3.75bn.

8. Some of Abu Dhabi's other major developments include- Al Reem Island, located on the northeastern coast of Abu Dhabi, will be home to an estimated 280,000 residents upon completion in 2012. Besides residential, commercial and retail or mall spaces, the 633-hectare development will also feature hotels, spas, schools, clinics and a golf course.

Khalifa City, which will house residential complexes and a $ 136 million "new ministries complex project", is envisioned as Abu Dhabi's response to Dubai's prestigious Sheikh Zayed Road, and will also have a number of international hotel chains.

9. The development of Saadiyat Island, said to be completed between 2009 and 2018, will be one of the most expensive projects to be undertaken in Abu Dhabi, with budget close to $27 billion. It will have a cultural district to feature some of the world's most recognized contemporary and art museums such as Guggenheim and Louvre and around 29 five-star hotels. A $163 million bridge project to link the Sa'adiyat Island with the Abu Dhabi mainland has also been commissioned and is expected to be completed in 2009.

10. And perhaps Abu Dhabi is heading in the right direction—It has been selected as one of the top ten destinations in the world by expedia.co.uk, UK's largest online travel agent. Abu Dhabi ranks among New Zealand, Argentina, China, Cape Verde, Alaska, Reykjavik, Berlin, Boston and Liverpool as one of the Top Ten places to visit in 2008.