More than 40 per cent of ride engineering and manufacturing works have been completed and ride components are beginning to arrive at Dubai Parks and Resorts, which is set to be the region’s largest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination.

In addition, the industry’s top designers and consultants are hard at work on a range of attractions at the project in Dubai, UAE.

Following the unveiling of a scale model of the resort last month at Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market, Dubai Parks and Resorts has announced further details on what visitors can expect when the development opens in October 2016.

Commenting on the progress of the development, Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts, said: “We are very pleased with our progress so far, with over 40 per cent of the project’s ride engineering and manufacturing completed at the end of the first quarter and ride components beginning to arrive.

“Following a rigorous bidding process, we have appointed a stellar team of the world’s leading players in the entertainment rides industry. We look forward to offering our visitors an exciting variety of more than 100 unforgettable attractions and experiences. As the largest entertainment destination in the region, Dubai Parks and Resorts will support the UAE’s tourism vision and serve as a key step towards reaching the country’s visitor targets.”

The destination will comprise three theme parks - motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and Legoland Dubai, together with Legoland Water Park. It will also include Riverland Dubai, a 220,000-sq-ft centrally located retail, dining and entertainment district, along with the Lapita Hotel, a Polynesian-themed family resort which will be managed by the Marriott Group.

The best-in-class global ride manufacturers have been busy over the last 12 months to develop rollercoaster tracks, immersion tunnels, drop towers, flying theatres, round rides and other media based attractions - with many of the attractions ordered and already starting to arrive in Dubai. Overall, attraction construction management is being led by Hill International, one of the world’s leading construction firms.

The resort’s attractions are being manufactured by leaders such as Mack Rides, Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, Dynamic Attractions, Zierer Rides, ETF Ride Systems, Triotech, WhiteWater Attractions, Zamperla, Holovis, Simworx, S&S – Sansei Technologies and Concept 1900. Fabrication of all rides is currently under way throughout the world. After the ride components are shipped to Dubai and assembled onsite, each attraction will undergo a stringent series of tests, sanctioned according to international industry standards.

According to Matthew Priddy, chief technical officer of Dubai Parks and Resorts: “As visitors to the Arabian Travel Market have witnessed, this project is unlike any other we have ever worked on. We are not just building one unforgettable experience, but multiple unforgettable experiences that will serve as pillars to the region’s tourism sector for decades to come. We have the best teams in the world working on this project. Every attraction will not only deliver an amazing and unique guest experience but also unquestionable safety.”.

Set to open in October 2016, the Dh10.5-billion ($2.86 billion) project is spread across 25 million sq ft of land strategically located on Sheikh Zayed Road close to the Palm Jebel Ali between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Some 6.7 million ticketed visits are expected in 2017, the first full year of operation. - TradeArabia News Service