ABU DHABI // The Executive Council announced yesterday plans to finalise budgets and expected opening dates for four museums, including the Zayed National Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The council statement said the museums would help Abu Dhabi to become a "world-class tourist destination".
In October, the Tourism Development Investment Company, the master developer of Saadiyat Island, announced that plans for the Guggenheim and Zayed National museums would be reviewed and a new timeframe would be announced pending approval from the Executive Council.
Delivery of the landmark museums on Saadiyat will be staggered, with the Louvre expected to be completed first, at the earliest in 2013. The Zayed National Museum would follow, and the Guggenheim would come online last.
Last month, Mohammed Omar Abdullah, the undersecretary of Abu Dhabi economic development, said the museums were not "delayed, but rescheduled".
He stressed the importance of the projects for the capital's economic and cultural growth.
"It is part of our culture requirement and economic strategy," he said. "We have alliances with different parts of the world - not just in economic, but also cultural."
osalem@thenational.ae
