Dubai’s theme parks to attract $5b in revenues

Theme parks in Dubai are set to generate close to $5 billion by 2020 as the country aims to welcome close to 25 million tourists during that phase.

Dubai — The theme park industry is scaling the growth trajectory in the UAE, with the country set to attract multibillion dollar revenues by 2017 through this sector, noted Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, chairman, IEC and organiser of the Deal Show.

Theme parks in Dubai are set to generate close to $5 billion by 2020 as the country aims to welcome close to 25 million tourists during that phase. The Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure (Deal) show is the largest platform for the theme parks and amusement industry in the Middle East and Africa region.

“Entertainment and leisure projects within the UAE and across GCC have boosted the confidence of the amusement and leisure industry manifold. UAE is experiencing this exponential growth because of its quality infrastructure and growing tourism and retail industry sectors. Another key factor is that Dubai is also becoming the Mice capital of the world due to the yearlong calendar of trade events. This also brings in considerable amount of footfall as families merge business with leisure activities and that further propels the theme park industry,” said Falaknaz.

Millions of tourists are set to flock theme parks in Dubai that are slated to open by the end of 2016. “The leisure and attractions industry in this region is in a very good stage compared to other global markets.

Several projects in this region are at different stages of development which should take shape in the next two years. As pioneers of this industry within GCC, we have a unique product which has worked successfully for nearly two decades — our biggest USP is that we have an original concept which appeals to the locals and GCC visitors, expat residents and international tourists,” said Ahmad Hussain bin Essa, COO of Global Village.

DEAL is the Middle East’s largest trade event for entertainment, amusement, and leisure industries, attracting key players in the amusement industry from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Now celebrating its 21st year, DEAL is the most important and largest attended event for those involved in the operation of family entertainment centers (FECs) and themed, adventure, and water parks.

Last year, exhibitors signed contracts worth over 1 billion dirhams, making DEAL 2015 an ideal platform to conduct business. The industry is expected to see tremendous regional growth over the next three to five years, with Dubai hosting Expo 2020 and large-scale projects already underway in Qatar and Jordan.

With an amazing array of innovative products and services from 200 exhibiting companies from over 30 countries, visitors can take advantage of this incredible opportunity to test innovative products, identify new services, and gather competitive quotes.