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Dubai: The planned Dh11 trillion spending on theme parks and other leisure and tourism projects in the Middle East in the next 20 years will boost the region's leisure tourism sector, industry officials said.
Upcoming attractions in the region include Dubailand, Restless Planet and Universal Studios Dubailand, Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, Entertainment City in Qatar, Aquaventure Waterpark at Atlantis on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, the Warner Bros-themed park in Abu Dhabi, the Marvel Entertainment Theme Park in Dubai, the WOW RAK theme park complex in Ras Al Khaimah, and the Paramount Pictures-branded theme park in Dubai.
"Current estimates put the region's attractions, entertainment, and leisure segment at Dh36 billion ($10 billion), with yearly growth at 20-25 per cent," Eckhard Pruy, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt GmbH, in a statement.
Dubailand, a Dh235 billion ($64 billion) tourism, leisure and entertainment project being built in the emirate, announced that it would be the location at new DreamWorks Animation theme park, part of a strategic alliance with the US studio behind the hit box-office animated movie Shrek.
Dubailand, with a collection of 24 theme parks, will be the one of the world's biggest destination of leisure attractions.
The construction of the theme parks will be undertaken in phases. The preliminary design work and site planning is underway, and the first phase is expected to open in 2012.
"The annual growth rate for the amusement sector in Middle East, Europe and Africa region is slated to be over 5 per cent to 2011, with much of that growth predicted to come from the Middle East."
This massive spending on theme parks would boost demand for gardening equipment and products, as well as services of landscape design companies and landscape artists are set to dramatically increase over the years in the Middle East.
Will these theme parks overburden the region or spoil people for choice? Why? Can the influx of tourists sustain such projects? How? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to send your comments.
Your comments
Such an enormous growth of the regional tourism industry is mainly the outcome of peaceful living conditions and highly attractive FDI policies maintained by the governments and people out here. It would also reduce local residents' overseas-spending rate on leasure.
Perhaps the biggest concern is the environmental imbalance, which is caused by an unusual abundance of virtually any resource.
NASIR
Dubai,UAE
Posted: May 27, 2008, 12:50
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