Dubai Parks and Resorts teams with Orlando University to train Emirati students in theme park management
Dubai Parks and Resorts – the developer behind the AED10bn (US$2.7bn, €2.4bn, £1.8bn) theme park mega resort under construction in the UAE – is planning to send a group of Emirati graduates to Orlando, Florida, to learn more about the theme park industry.
The developer will recruit more than 1,000 locals over the course of the next year, with the educational initiative – known as the Helmi Programme – offering 10 graduates aged 25 and under a six-month course in Theme Park Management at the University of Orlando.
In addition to obtaining a globally-recognised degree, students will gain a hands-on appreciation of the industry, taking work placements at several major theme parks in the Orlando area including Legoland Florida, the sister site of the under-development Legoland Dubai as part of the Dubai Parks and Resorts project. 40 more Emirati students will take the same course when a visiting faculty travels to Dubai.
Dubai Parks and resorts pledged to hire more than 1,000 Emirati employees as part of wider efforts across the country to give top jobs to the UAE’s homegrown talent. The course will teach the trainees to manage a theme park, ahead of the 2016 opening of Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and Legoland Dubai.
A recent report from PwC suggested that the UAE is set to become a serious theme park competitor in the coming years, with revenues forecast to shoot up 78 per cent by 2019, and for the region to be competing with the Orlando market by 2021.
PwC report suggests UAE to become serious theme park competitor to Orlando by 2021
Legoland Florida and Travelex reach deal to list Lego currency on exchange
Oldest US waterpark to make way for 'next-generation' Volcano Bay
Merlin's Magic Makers create new hotel at Legoland Florida
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
How Portugal’s biggest brewer enlisted the help of one of the country’s best known architects to turn two historic nature parks into thermal spa and nature destinations
Designing an eco hotel for the Galapagos Islands that allowed the stunning natural surroundings to take centre stage while minimising its impact on the land presented its own unique set of challenges, Ecuadorian architect Humberto Plaza tells Kathryn Hudson