Sir Bani Yas Island in the Western Region is to get a new hotel after Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) started marketing a lease for a hotel site on the island. TDIC yesterday announced that it was inviting bids of more than Dh1 million for a 30-year lease of a 110,000 square metre beachside site that has been earmarked for a three or four-star hotel. Sir Bani Yas Island, a 87 square kilometre desert island off Jebel Dhanna on the Al Gharbia coast, is already home to three linked luxury hotels run by the Thai hotel chain Anantara, the first of which opened in 2008 as Abu Dhabi's first nature-based tourism destination. But TDIC said that the new hotel would make the island more affordable for visitors. "By introducing a new three to four-star accommodation offering on the island, Sir Bani Yas as a destination will grow to be accessible to a wider audience and become more affordable,” said Ahmed Al Fahim, TDIC's executive director for marketing, communication, sales and leasing. "This has always been part of the initial vision for Sir Bani Yas, which is make it accessible to visitors and future generations, so everyone could get to visit the island and learn about the country's history, heritage, environment and wildlife,” he added. Originally conceived by Sheikh Zayed as a wildlife reserve to ensure the survival of Arabia's most endangered species, the Arabian Oryx, Sir Bani Yas Island is home to the Arabian Wildlife Park, which spans three-quarters of the island. Earlier this month Abu Dhabi's Tourism and Culture Authority said that it was working to upgrade the status of the Sir Bani Yas Island airport and add cruise stops in two years to accommodate the rising demand from tourists. Source: The National