Saudi-based retailer Fawaz Alhokair Company has announced the opening of its first KidZania outlet in Saudi Arabia at Mall of Arabia in Jeddah.

KidZania, said to be the world's fastest-growing edutainment brand, introduces kids to more than 80 careers in an indoor replica of a real-life city, complete with kid-sized streets, buildings, utilities and vehicles.

Poised to become an educational landmark, KidZania Jeddah endeavors to empower, inspire and entertain children aged 4-14 throughout Saudi Arabia, said a statement from the company.

With this launch, Saudi Arabia joins Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, South Korea, Thailand, India, Cairo, Istanbul and its Gulf neighbours UAE and Kuwait.

Celebrating the launch on Friday (January 16), Xavier Lopez Ancona, the president and founder of KidZania, said: "The opening of KidZania Jeddah exemplifies how families from around the world have embraced the concept – a progressive and interactive role-play experience that challenges, inspires and readies kids to create a better world."

"In this new attraction, we celebrate both the meteoric growth of our company as well as the diverse and vibrant culture of Saudi Arabia," he stated in the presence of Salman Alhokair and Stuart Breakwood, the CEO of Kidzania Jeddah.

Maged Al Najjar, the Kidzania general manager and Iman Bakr, the marketing manager, who also joined the celebrations said Jeddah was the 17th operational centre of KidZania in the world.

The Jeddah outlet offers as many as 100 role-playing activities at more than 60 establishments with a range of difficulty levels to meet the abilities and interests of each child.

Kids can choose to pay for goods and services with KidZania's own currency or they can choose to work, they stated.

The attraction puts children in a pint-sized, kid friendly city, allowing them to role play and test drive careers of every kind – from  pilots navigate airplanes, TV anchors, firemen, chefs, doctors, police officers, journalists, shopkeepers.

KidZania is a city just for kids, complete with a hospital, fire station, beauty salon, bank, radio station, supermarket, television station, pizzeria and theater. Kids are paid for their work in KidZos, the official currency of KidZania, said the officials.

Alhokair said: "We are honoured and delighted to join the ever-growing KidZania nation, where children can imagine a better world and become global citizens through their experiences at our park."
 
He pointed out that the edutainment programs will empower, enrich the self-esteem, and bolster the leadership skills of Saudi kids and other young visitors visiting from other parts of Makkah region.

Saudi Arabia, he said, was ready for an edutainment concept like KidZania and "I'm hopeful that it will provide new opportunities to the kids to shape their future."-TradeArabia News Service