The BD10 million ($26.5 million) Al Dana resort project should be ready to receive tourists by June next year.

The Al Jazira Tourism Company's project, being constructed alongside the old Muharraq causeway, will be managed by French firm Accor Leisure Tourism, under its brand name Novotel.

The five-star resort is set to be a major tourist attraction, said Al Jazira Tourism Company vice-chairman and managing director Dr Kadhem Rajab.

"The project will consist of 180 chalets, and 25 of them will be floating chalets," he said.

"Also, there will be a floating restaurant, two other restaurants, a beautiful beach, marina, coffee shops and children's entertainment area.

"This is the first project of its kind, promoted jointly by a group of investors from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia."

The chalets are of one, two and three-bedrooms, and some of them will be inter-connected to each other for the convenience of large families.

Main contractors Ahmed Mansoor Al A'ali have mobilised all forces to complete the project by June next year, said Dr Rajab, who is also the Assistant Under-Secretary for Tourism.

"We are happy to have signed a management contract with Accor, which runs tourism projects including resorts, hotel chains and tour operating firms around the world," he added.

The project owners have signed an agreement with Arab Bank, for a term loan of BD4.25m for the project.