Jeddah - A signing ceremony took place yesterday at 12 noon in the offices of his Royal Highness the Governor of Makkah Region Prince Khalid Al Faisal. The signing of the agreement between Dr. Ghassan Al Sulaiman the Chairman of City Center Development Company the sole developer of the Jeddah City Center Project and Mr. Florian Bollen Chairman of Great Wheel Corporation marks the official start of the iconic Jeddah Eye development project. The ceremony was all attended by his Excellency the Mayor of Jeddah, Mr. Forrest Cunliffe, CEO of Pioneer Management Group and several of the large land owners in the Jeddah Center Project.
This $250m project will be a key part of the major redevelopment of Jeddah Center Project involving the construction of a 5 Star hotel and shopping mall as well as a Great Wheel. It means that Jeddah becomes the sixth city in the world chosen to host one of these prestigious and spectacular landmarks, joining an exclusive international family of cities including London, Beijing and Singapore.
The Jeddah Eye will be the most innovative and eye-catching of the Great Wheels with the hotel designed as an integral part of the structure, and will transform the skyline of the city. His Highness said that "The Jeddah Eye is a future symbol of modern Saudi Arabia and a message to the world that we are an important part of the international community".
H.E. Engineer Adel Fakeeh, Mayor of Jeddah, said that the project will add to the tourism attractions in the beautiful city of Jeddah and will be a major destination and landmark.
Dr. Ghassan Al Sulaiman commented that the Great Wheel Corporation conducted a study in the Middle East and North Africa region and found that only two cities had the makings for hosting a Great Wheel project with Jeddah being one of those two. In addition their study showed that the most suitable location in Jeddah for such a project was the Jeddah Center location.
Forrest Cunliffe whose company Pioneer Management Group is leading the project as project manager and developer commented: "This project reflects the important place that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has in the international community. The 'Wheel' is a statement of intent and will cement Saudi Arabia's place as a leading nation on the Middle East stage. We are very honored to be involved in this landmark project."
Mr. Florian Bollen said "Having traveled to Jeddah on several occasions over the past years I am impressed and very excited about this vibrant and forward looking city. The Jeddah Eye will be a unique Iconic Structure which will attract worldwide attention. It will reflect the desire of the Kingdom to move up and become one of the leading Economic Global Powers and will also substantially strengthen Jeddah's position in the Global tourism map.
The contract signature marks the start of a three year development phase, with construction due to commence in the summer of 2009 with the hotel and wheel due to open in 2012. The hotel will have 350 rooms and a selection of quality restaurants. However it is the 150 meter high (Jeddah Eye) which is the centre piece of this keynote development and is expected to attract at least 500,000 visitors a year transforming tourism within an already popular city.
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For more information, please contact:
Ahmed Al Hassani
Media Manager
TRACCS - KSA
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Email: ahmed.alhassani@traccs.net
© Press Release 2008
