UAE theme parks to record soaring visitor numbers

A look inside IMG Worlds of Adventure, the world's largest theme park.

The rising popularity of theme parks, among both UAE residents and international visitors, will lead to them welcoming more than 19 million admissions a year by 2020, if current trends continue, new data has revealed.
The data released ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2017, made the observation using existing admissions and arrivals data for Ferrari World, Waterworld, Aquaventure, and Wild Wadi, as well as a sample of new and upcoming parks. All four parks have experienced a strong correlation between the rising number of visitors to the UAE and its admissions, with their combined admissions predicted to reach 19 million visitors annually.
Similar patterns are expected to be seen for IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks and Resorts, which opened this year in Dubai. Both parks have ambitions to draw in millions of visitors in their first year of operations, with IMG expecting to attract 4.5 million people and Dubai Parks and Resorts predicting 6.7 million ticketed visitors.
Simon Press, senior exhibition director of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), said: "Dubai has a unique chance to replicate the success we have seen in other markets such as Orlando, Singapore and Tokyo, attracting new arrivals while also capturing a share of both the stop over and direct tourism markets. Theme parks are a new addition to the tourism landscape here in the GCC and it's important that destinations are positioned to take full advantage of the benefits they can bring."
"This is the UAE's chance to position itself as a major leisure destination on a global scale and there are many businesses in the tourism and leisure industries which should position themselves to take advantage of this. With more attractions than ever before the UAE, and particularly Dubai, are making clear progress towards achieving their tourist arrival targets," he noted.
The predictions were published in a report titled 'Theme Park Tourism', by Colliers International, and released to coincide with the openings of Dubai's IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR). IMG and DPR will be exhibiting at Arabian Travel Market taking place from April 24-27, 2017, with IMG taking a stand 74 per cent larger than in 2016. Yas Island and Ferrari World will also be exhibiting at ATM.
The growing importance and impact of theme parks to the regional tourism landscape will be explored during the event. Typically, a theme park can expect to attract a visitor mix that is approximately 70 per cent domestic, up to 20 per cent regional and around 10 per cent international, with Mice groups also forming a large share of admissions especially in cities with a strong business culture, such as Singapore and Tokyo.
Press added: "We are seeing the start of a new era for Dubai and the UAE with the opening of the world's largest integrated theme park development, Dubai Parks and Resorts, and other mega attractions. These join the likes of Ferrari World and Yas Water World and naturally these will draw ever larger crowds to the region."
The new parks will also create a distinct economic boost for hoteliers following a difficult 24 months for the hospitality industry regionally. Colliers concluded that the closer a hotel is to a theme park, the stronger its performance will be in the key metrics of occupancy, average daily rate, and RevPAR, the decade after opening.
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com