UAE will play a pivotal role in the global billion dollar theme park and amusement industry, said the chairman of International Expo Consults, organisers of the DEAL 2017 (Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure) show.

Highly innovative and creative themepark concepts in the UAE will be one of the key factors that will attract and drive millions of tourists and local residents to these entertainment destinations, added Abdul Rahman Falaknaz.

The 1.5-million-sq-ft IMG Worlds of Adventure theme park is set to open its doors in Dubailand this summer, and the three new theme parks namely Legoland, Motiongate and Bollywood Parks in Jebel Ali are all set to commence operations by this October. In addition, Six Flags Dubai is also scheduled to open in Jebel Ali by late 2017.

“A decade ago the entertainment landscape was totally different. However, there has been a paradigm shift and we have witnessed a giant leap within the themepark and amusement industry marketplace,” said Falaknaz.

“We are certainly setting an example for the others to follow. As a themepark industry exhibition organiser for over two decades, we have seen the industry grow in stages. However, the last five years have seen an exponential growth and it will continue to keep up the momentum in the coming years.”

Internationally recognized events such as the Dubai Expo 2020 and FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 will further boost the tourism sector in the region. This growth, correlated to the rise of theme parks and retail visits, will renew the enthusiasm in the amusement and themepark industry in the region. Theme parks in the UAE have the potential to see over 18 million visits by 2021 as per reports.

“UAE is well prepared to be crowned as a fun destination in the MENA region with commercial establishments and state-of-the-art-infrastructure. The country has metamorphosed itself into a truly global hub for tourism over the years, with visitors not only from the MENA region but worldwide. Tourists are attracted to the country’s state-of-the-art retail and hospitality sector,” added Falaknaz.
Foraying into the 23rd edition, DEAL 2017 expects to witness an even larger gathering of key players and visitors in the amusement industry from Middle East, Africa, US, Mediterranean and Asian countries.

“The residents and tourists are also increasingly focusing on family entertainment centres (FEC) and other indoor attraction concepts that are blended well within a retail establishment. The family entertainment zone operators are constantly looking at attracting more visitors and repeat customers through these FECs,” said Sharif Rahman, CEO, IEC.

“Therefore, innovation is important and that is the primary aspect that we address through our DEAL show.  The exhibitors from across the globe bring in the latest concepts from across the globe year-on-year and this further helps the FEC operator to keep up with the industry’s demands and remain profitable.”

DEAL 2017 runs from March 27 to 29, 2017 at Dubai World Trade Centre. - TradeArabia News Service