Developer Nakheel'>Nakheel and Thai hotel group Centara Hotels and Resorts have unveiled plans to open a hotel, beach resort and waterpark on Dubai’s Deira Islands.

The two companies have formed a joint venture agreement for the “family-centric lifestyle destination,” which will be part of the newly-formed Deira Islands – a 15sq km (5.8sq mi) group of four reclaimed artificial islands currently under development.

Set to open in 2020, the 600-bedroom resort will be managed by Centara, which has a portfolio of 67 hotels across Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East.

Covering 300,000sq ft (27,900sq m), a large beachfront waterpark is included in the plans, as well as multiple restaurants, a kids club, spa, fitness centre and business facilities.

The development is part of the Dubai government’s tourism vision for 2020 – a strategic roadmap with the key objective of attracting 20 million visitors per year by 2020, doubling the number welcomed in 2012.

“This strategic joint venture underlines our commitment to bringing new hospitality concepts to Dubai in line with the government’s tourism vision,” said Nakheel chair Ali Rashid Lootah.

“Today’s crucial milestone allows us to move forward with the construction and delivery of this exciting new resort, which will undoubtedly be one of Dubai’s most sought-after destinations for travellers the world over.”

The partnership is the second such development on Deira Islands for Nakheel, which in September also announced plans for an 800-bedroom, AED670m (US$182.5m, €155m, £137.6m) beachfront resort in partnership with Spain’s RIU Hotels and Resorts. That project is already underway, with construction proposals currently being assessed.

More partnerships with global hospitality firms are also being explored, according to Nakheel, which is currently working on a AED5b (US$1.36bn, €1.16bn, £1bn) hospitality expansion, with the delivery of 17 hotels, resorts and serviced apartment complexes across Dubai.

Deira Islands is also developing its own masterplan, with more than AED7.5bn (US$2bn, €1.73bn, £1.54bn) already invested in both infrastructure and construction contracts. According to the Deira masterplan, the coastal city will have a population of 250,000 people and will feature hundreds of hotels, leisure attractions and retail options. The reclaimed land itself adds 40km (24.8mi), including 21km (13mi) of beaches to the Dubai coastline.