Dubai has long used high-profile, big-ticket real estate projects to drive economic growth and establish itself as an interna-tional tourist destination. Its ambitions were slowed significantly with a crippling financial crisis that came to a head in 2009, forcing the delay or cancellation of some of the most outlandish projects. Dubai Holding was not spared from the financial turmoil, and some of its divisions sought new repayment terms from lenders on a debt pile that reached into the billions of dollars.The emirate's economy has rebounded strongly in the years since the crisis, driven by its trade, transportation and tourism-dependent economy.