Fujairah's Umbrella Beach: shops, restaurants and cinema to open as part of transformation

The initial phase of the project will include the addition of 15 shop fronts, followed by restaurants, a drive-in cinema, a climbing wall, jogging tracks and basketball and volleyball courts

The first phase of a plan to transform Fujairah’s Umbrella Beach is slated for completion this year. Courtesy Umbrella Beach

The first phase of a project that will transform Fujairah’s Umbrella Beach is slated for completion this year.

The ambitious plan to enhance the emirate’s Al Faseel beach, better known as Umbrella Beach because of its multicoloured shelter and barbecue areas, will initially include the addition of 15 shopfronts.

This will be followed-up with restaurants and other tourist-friendly attractions, including a drive-in cinema, climbing wall, jogging tracks, and basketball and volleyball courts, along with recreational spaces for children and adults. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a range of watersports, including jet-skiing and parasailing.

Fujairah’s tourism offering remains relatively underdeveloped, in spite of its unspoilt coastline, dramatic mountainous topography and prime diving sites. The emirate is home to a handful of five-star hotels, largely clustered around Al Aqah Beach, but efforts are under way to upgrade some of its beaches. Next on the agenda is an enhancement of Fujairah Corniche.

“As one of the UAE’s smaller emirates, Fujairah is frequently overlooked by tourists and visitors to the country,” says Umbrella Beach project manager Abdullah Taleb. “The Umbrella Beach project plans to rectify this by drawing attention to Fujairah’s vast tourism potential, including its striking modernity, impressive work ethic and breathtaking natural beauty.

Taleb says the aim of these improvements is to show the world that “tourism in the UAE is about more than just Dubai and Abu Dhabi”.

“Umbrella Beach will have something for everyone, regardless of age, nationality or background. Along with local visitors from Fujairah and the next-door emirate of Sharjah, we hope to draw tourists from all over the region – and the world.”