Al Ain Oasis Municipality Set To Partner With New Eagle Hills To Transform Hospitality And Tourism In Al Ain, UAE

Published on December 9, 2025

Al Ain Oasis, the ancient, lush center of Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, is about to undergo a significant change. The recent partnership between Eagle Hills and Al Ain City Municipality is going to transform the area into an energized destination open for the whole year, combining the elements of heritage, nature, and modern recreation. This action is expected to open up a new wave of hospitality and tourism in the area – making the oasis a lively hub for culture and leisure for locals and tourists alike.

What’s Changing: Features of the Redevelopment

Elevated Walkways, Watchtower and Nighttime Atmosphere

At the heart of the redevelopment lies a new Elevated Walkway, giving visitors panoramic views above the palm canopy while preserving the working farms below, a feature that reimagines how people experience the oasis’s landscape.

Complementing this is a newly built Watchtower, offering sweeping vistas over the oasis, designed to imbue a sense of discovery and perspective that celebrates the site as one of the city’s most treasured natural assets.

Tech-enabled pathways, softly lit at night, will transform the oasis into an atmospheric realm of exploration after dusk. Custom light installations and thoughtfully designed landscaping will create a multi-sensory environment, encouraging evening strolls and making the oasis accessible beyond daylight hours.

Curated Gardens, Dining and Communal Spaces

Visitors will be welcomed into carefully landscaped areas, including the so-called Reflection, Ripple and Mist Gardens, shaded, immersive spaces inspired by the oasis’s natural character. The result is a culinary and lifestyle experience where food, landscape and leisure combine into a seamless visitor journey.

Why This Matters: Heritage Meets Modern Hospitality

Respect for History with a Fresh Vision

Al Ain Oasis is no ordinary park. It is one of the largest, and most significant, oases in the region, part of the set of oases that make up the UNESCO-listed Cultural Sites of Al Ain. The oasis has long been home to more than 147,000 date palms across over 100 varieties, working farms, ancient falaj irrigation channels, fruit trees and traditional agricultural plots.

By preserving the working farms, maintaining the traditional water-management infrastructure, and integrating modern design elements without erasing the heritage, the redevelopment seeks to strike a balance honouring the past while adapting the oasis for contemporary use.

For centuries, the oasis has served as a green lung for the city, sustaining a unique way of life in arid surroundings. Transforming it into a modern leisure destination while preserving that heritage, reaffirms its identity as the cultural heart of Al Ain.

A Boost to Hospitality and Tourism and the Local Economy

The redevelopment arrives at a pivotal moment. According to Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the Al Ain Region has seen a strong rise in visitor numbers: in the first half of 2025 alone, hotel guest numbers rose nearly 12 percent year-on-year, and visits to Al Ain Oasis grew by 40 percent.

As the oasis is reimagined into a destination offering dining, relaxed leisure, scenic walks and cultural immersion, the potential for longer stays, increased hotel occupancy, higher footfall at local businesses and greater economic ripple effects across hospitality, retail and services is substantial. The redevelopment aligns with the broader Tourism Strategy 2030 for the emirate, which aims to attract around 520,000 overnight leisure hotel guests to the region by 2030.

What Travellers Can Expect and When

For visitors whether local residents or international tourists, the revamped Al Ain Oasis will offer:

• A unique chance to experience lush date-palm groves and heritage falaj waterways alongside modern amenities and dining.
• Elevated, Instagram-worthy walkways and a watchtower offering panoramic views over palm canopies and oasis farms.
• A multi-sensory environment: ambient lights after dusk, shaded gardens, hammocks, communal seating, ideal for relaxation, family outings or quiet contemplation.
• Dining and café experiences rooted in Emirati culture, offering something different from standard mall or hotel restaurants.
• A more immersive heritage experience, blending ecological, agricultural, cultural and leisure aspects, ideal for travellers seeking more than just conventional sightseeing.

Because the redevelopment emphasises year-round appeal (with lighting for evening visits, shaded gardens, and a mix of leisure and dining), Al Ain Oasis could become a must-visit for both day-trippers and hotel-staying visitors, throughout the year.

Broader Significance: Al Ain’s Reinforced Position as a Cultural-Eco Tourism Hub

With this transformation, Al Ain Oasis could well become a symbol of how to modernise without erasing history. By integrating hospitality and leisure infrastructure into a centuries-old oasis, the project sets an example of sustainable, heritage-rooted tourism development.

It also fits into larger efforts by DCT Abu Dhabi and Al Ain City Municipality to promote the Al Ain Region as a living oasis blending culture, wellness, adventure and nature and to deliver on long-term tourism targets under Tourism Strategy 2030.

For travellers, the project offers a refreshed, enriched gateway to one of the UAE’s most evocative landscapes, where ancient irrigation channels, palm groves, traditional farms and modern hospitality meet.

Bottom Line

Al Ain Oasis has long stood as a testament to the Emirati legacy, a thriving green heart in a desert environment, nurtured by falaj canals and generations of farming and community life. With the new venture between Eagle Hills and Al Ain City Municipality, this heritage is being lovingly revitalised.

For tourists, the opportunity to dine under swaying palms, stroll above the canopy on elevated walkways, breathe in the history and serenity of the falaj-fed landscape, especially under the glow of evening lights, promises a deeply human, memorable experience. For the hospitality sector, it signals new momentum, business opportunities and a renewed role for Al Ain as a cultural-eco tourism destination.

This particular change which is based on honor for the past and future-oriented might play a crucial role in changing the way travelers perceive the UAE’s heritage: not as dormant but as vibrant, lively, and interactive sceneries filled with individuals, stories, and open-endedness.