The Dubai Mall, already one of the world's largest, is undergoing a $400 million expansion.

• The shopping complex has a variety of attractions, including 1,200 stores, 200 food and beverage outlets, a 10-million-liter aquarium, an Olympic-sized ice skating rink, an indoor Chinatown, a virtual reality park, an indoor SEGA theme park, and one of the world's largest candy stores.
• Emaar Properties, the developer of the mall, announced this week an expansion plan that will include 240 new luxury stores and food and drink venues.

The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest malls, is set to undergo an expansion that will cost approximately 1.5 billion dirhams ($408 million).

The United Arab Emirates' commercial capital boasts a massive shopping complex with 1,200 stores, 200 food and beverage vendors, a 10-million-liter aquarium, an Olympic-sized ice skating rink, an indoor Chinatown, a virtual reality park, an indoor SEGA theme park, and one of the world's largest candy stores.

The world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, is connected to the mall, which spans 12 million square feet of floor space.

Emaar Properties, the developer of the mall, announced this week an expansion plan that will include 240 new luxury stores and food and drink venues.

"Emaar founder, Mohamed Alabbar, stated that the new Dubai Mall expansion is a fantastic addition to one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. He emphasized that the plan aligns with Dubai's aspiration to maintain its position as a leading global tourist destination."

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Dubai's economy has flourished due to its early vaccination campaign and subsequent reopening to tourism and business, while many other countries remained closed.

The UAE has recently introduced remote worker visas, 10-year "golden" visas, and relaxed foreign ownership laws for businesses. This has attracted major international events like Expo 2020 and COP 28. Additionally, the UAE's population and tourism and property revenues have increased after Russia's 2022 full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, which led to an influx of Russians seeking a balmy, sanctions-free destination.

In the first half of 2023, Dubai experienced a remarkable 63% increase in residency visas issued compared to the same period in 2022, as reported by Gulf News.

In 2022, Emaar reported that Dubai Mall had a record 105 million visitors, which was a 19% increase from the previous year.

Emaar Properties is a Dubai-based multinational real estate developer with two major shareholders: Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Investment Corporation of Dubai, a UAE sovereign wealth fund. The company's net asset value was $37.6 billion at the end of 2022, as stated on its website.

In February, the founder of Emaar revealed plans for a new mall in Dubai's Creek Harbor area that would enable visitors to drive through it in electric cars, according to the Khaleej Times.