Dubai, UAE
The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 will become a floating hotel. The ship, which crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times over 40 years, was sold this week to Istithmar, a Dubai company, for $100 million. Starting in 2009, it will be berthed off Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, one of three man-made islands shaped like palm fronds. The company said it would restore the ship’s original 1967 interior and décor in hopes that the hotel will become a tourist destination in its own right. Around 6.5 million tourists visited Dubai last year, more than any other Arab country except Egypt.
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