The project, called Moon, is envisioned as a large-scale destination resort capable of welcoming about 10 million guests each year. Its centrepiece would be the world’s largest true sphere, standing more than 300 metres tall and housing a full-scale lunar experience designed to simulate the surface and environment of the Moon.
The project is a global tourism platform combining hospitality, residential development, entertainment and education in a single integrated masterplan.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Michael R. Henderson, co-founder of Moon World Resorts Inc., said interest in the concept has reached a turning point. “We have reached a tipping point,” he said in an exclusive interview. “We have 1,000 people a week who want to work for us, and the level of media interest and global inquiries has grown dramatically.”
Ten global destinations identified
Developers have identified ten countries where the project could be built, including the UAE, China, Thailand, Brazil, Poland, Spain, India, Australia, Egypt and the US.
Each development would be independently owned by regional partners, while Moon World Resorts would provide design expertise and intellectual property licensing.
Henderson said the coming year could prove decisive. “2026 is going to be a very interesting year,” he said. “We believe there is a good possibility that not only will we announce one location, but perhaps more than one.”
Some markets are seen as capable of moving faster than others due to regulatory processes and investment conditions. Henderson pointed to China and the UAE as examples of locations where projects could potentially advance quickly if approvals align.
Funding model centred on private capital
Despite the scale of the project, Henderson says funding is not expected to be a major obstacle because the financial structure relies heavily on private investment and real estate sales.
The central resort component alone is estimated to cost about $5 billion excluding land, placing it within the range of other large tourism developments in the region.
Henderson said investor interest is already strong. “If a project is logical and the mathematics makes sense, there are plenty of people around the world looking for a place where they can park capital and get a safe return on a fixed asset,” he said. “Funding Moon is the easiest part of the exercise.”
Residential units within each development would follow an off-plan sales model similar to other major real estate projects, allowing construction to be partly self-financed through early purchases.
Government backing remains the key prerequisite before funding can proceed, Henderson said, since investors typically require clear regulatory approval and land allocation before committing capital.
“You must start with the government saying, we want this project, we will fast-track approvals and allocate land,” he said. “Once that happens, financing becomes straightforward.”
A destination built around a lunar experience
The masterplan is designed to combine tourism, hospitality and residential living within a single integrated environment spanning about 500 acres.
At the centre would be a giant sphere measuring roughly 271 metres in diameter, making it the largest true spherical structure ever built. Inside, a 4,000-room luxury hotel would anchor the complex, while an upper-level attraction would recreate the Moon’s surface and host immersive experiences.
Henderson expects this lunar attraction alone to draw about 2.5 million visitors annually and says it could also serve as a training environment for space agencies.
Surrounding the central structure would be a wide range of supporting facilities including convention centres, wellness hubs, entertainment venues, retail spaces and educational institutions.
Residential component drives long-term value
Beyond the resort core, the masterplan includes a large residential component featuring about 10,000 luxury units distributed across multiple towers and sphere-shaped buildings.
The residential zone would incorporate panoramic skywalks, landscaped parks and waterfront areas designed to create a live-work-play environment around the tourism destination.
Henderson said this mix of hospitality, residential and commercial functions is critical to ensuring long-term financial sustainability while creating a year-round destination instead of a seasonal attraction.
He anticipates the first Moon project could open around 2032, subject to regulatory approvals and construction timelines.
Interest from investors and global markets suggests the concept is gaining momentum, though final site selections and formal announcements remain pending.
If realised, Moon developments would represent one of the most ambitious tourism initiatives ever attempted, combining large-scale real estate development with immersive entertainment to create a new category of global destination resorts.
Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.
Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy.
An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.
When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.
