Exclusive: Dubai Parks & Resorts to boost region's tourism aspirations ahead of 2020 Expo
Matthew Priddy, chief technical officer for the US$2.9bn (€2.6bn, £2bn) Dubai Parks & Resorts development opening later this year, has said that the mega-resort’s launch will kickstart a tourism influx in the emirate as Dubai gears up for the 2020 Expo.
With hotel occupancy booming and Dubai on target to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2020, the Dubai Tourism Authority sees under-development theme parks including Dubai Parks & Resorts, IMG Worlds of Adventure and Fox World Dubai as crucial in maintaining visitor numbers after the 2020 World Expo.
“This I think is kicking off that whole 2020 frame of mind here in Dubai, said Priddy speaking exclusively to Attractions Management. “For our first year we’re predicting 5.5 million visitors. As Dubai’s place on the map grows, by the time we get to 2020 we think we’ll be exceeding those numbers.”
Priddy – who has worked for more than 35 years in the theme park industry, spending 21 years with Walt Disney Imagineering – will have worked on 10 theme park projects from the ground up when the resort opens, with Legoland Dubai, Motiongate and Bollywood Parks being parks 8,9 and 10. The industry veteran is heading up a team of 40 who have more than 500 years of theme park experience between them.
“It’s important that any country in this region diversifies their economy,” said Priddy. “Dubai is more widely known for its real estate, to some extent its oil, and now it's going to be known as a tourist entertainment destination. We think it’s very sustainable.
“There were a couple of factors in selecting Dubai for the resort. The infrastructure was one of them. We have the hotels, we’ve got great airline services and the ability for us to absorb that many guests is essentially already there. In addition there really aren’t any multi-day mega resorts like this in the region. The closest would be EuroDisney but in terms of the Orlando-like effect there’s nothing like it within a 6-10 hour radius by air. That makes the destination.”
In recent weeks, the heads of the UAE’s leading theme park developments have hailed the potential of Dubai emulating Orlando and becoming an international theme park hub.
“There are numerous parks and developments currently in the region and we don’t consider them competition, we consider them complementary” said Priddy.
“Just like Orlando, which is a destination city for theme parks, that’s what is going to end up happening here in Dubai. I can think of half-a-dozen theme park projects under development in the area, not to mention the 2020 Expo. We look at those projects as complementary as they make people looking for that destination stay maybe a week as opposed to a couple of days. When that critical mass is in play then you’re going to have a regionally beneficial development from a both tourist and economical standpoint.”
The resort will be the largest in the Gulf region, using world class ride developers for its parks, including Mack, Gerstlauer, ETF, Zamperla, S&M, Dynamic Attractions, Holovis and Simworx. Harnessing the experience of these industry experts, the three under-development parks will use a tried-and-tested method rather than an experimental approach.
“On the ride side of things, one of the things we did at Disney was invent on the critical path,” continued Priddy. “Here we’ve chosen not to do that. We’ve chosen to go with state-of-the-art systems that we know have been installed elsewhere and have been operated effectively but still bring you that world-class experience.
“We have roughly 85 shows, rides and attractions across the three parks. All the rides are purchased – we have 10 of them being installed as we speak. We are on budget and we are on track with all three parks for our opening date of October 2016.”
Dubai Parks & Resorts Dubai Middle East Motiongate Bollywood Parks Legoland Dubai Legoland UAE United Arab Emirates
Exclusive: Dubai primed for attractions boom, says Worlds of Adventure CEO
Exclusive: Dubai's theme park boom offers new gateway to Europe, says Fox executive
Dubai's theme park sector continues to heat up with 2018 addition of 20th Century Fox World
Lionsgate uses Hunger Games to feed theme park ambitions
Dubai Parks and Resorts teams with Orlando University to train Emirati students in theme park management
IMG Worlds of Adventure masterplanner Falcon's Creative unveils Avengers ride
Hunger Games confirmed for Motiongate Dubai as part of Lionsgate Zone
HOK-Arup Consortium to design Dubai Expo 2020
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
