Renovating the Beaches of Fujairah City

A letter arrived recently posing these questions:

“Please can you tell me how far/how long are the beaches in Fujairah from the cruise terminal? Is it worth getting off the cruise ship? I have read conflicting reviews!”

There is much more that can be done to showcase Fujairah tourism and heritage sites especially for the significant number of cruise ship tourists who only spend a few hours in the emirate of Fujairah.

But how ready are the Fujairah city beaches, not only for temporary tourists who don’t have the time to get to the Al Aqah coastline but for holidaymakers and residents to enjoy?

Hilton Solution
One solution is for people to use the beach at the Hilton Hotel where the charge to use the beach and all recreational facilities (swimming pool, gym etc) for part or a whole day is AED 100 for an adult and AED 75 for a child.

Public Solution
As Fujairah is staking its tourism future on the magnificent coastline of the emirate it is timely to develop the public beaches for residents and tourists, keeping in mind the many activities that people like to enjoy on the sea and sand.

Why not begin by renovating a good length of the beach that runs parallel with Al Faseel Road from the private residences (north of the Hilton) that have beach access, towards the Beach Motel?

Attractive Features
Adapt the features that make the Khor Fakkan beach so popular with residents as well as tourists and then add some more:
+ Ample parking
+ Shops where people can buy water and refreshments
+ An abundance of grassy areas for picnics
+ Lots of large trees that give shelter for sitting and walking
+ Walking paths as well as a long beach to walk on
+ Barbeque areas for beach cooking
+ Changing rooms, toilets and showers
+ Play activities for children
+ A variety of tables and chairs, park benches
+ Good clean sand
+ A beach and park area that is thoroughly cleaned
+ Designated areas for swimmers and jet-skis
+ Opportunities for people to hire boats, ride on horses etc.
+ Umbrellas and deck chairs for hire
+ Other?

Enhance the Valuable Assets
We are more than half way there with the safe waters and the sensational views of the sea and the mountains.

To provide shelter from the searing sun, opportunities for refreshment and some basic equipment would enhance one of Fujairah’s most valuable assets and make it more accessible and attractive to all.

What would you recommend if you were in charge of developing this and other Fujairah beaches?

Take a Look
Have a look at these pictures from the popular beach at Khor Fakkan.

Related

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page.

Image: “These old tables and chairs have had their day. They are unsafe and have sunk into the sand to the point where they are unusable.”