Dubai
The economic issues currently being experienced in Dubai has, as we all know, placed much focus on the many proposed leisure developments in the country, not least those within the huge Dubailand project. Some have simply been delayed, some postponed and some, inevitably, may not get built at all. But is it all doom and gloom or is there light at the end of the tunnel? InterPark spoke to industry experts with experience of the Dubai market and the wider Middle East market to get their thoughts on how they see the current situation and how they feel things will move forward in the future
David Camp, director of the Economics practice at AECOM (formerly ERA), London, UK
“There is a market there because people are still going,” observes Camp, who has been working on projects in Dubai for almost 10 years and is well placed to comment on the challenges the country faces after it told the world what a unique tourist and entertainment destination it was going to create. “Back in 2007 they had a range of projects in the
pipeline, including US$64 billion plans for 10 theme parks and related resorts in Dubailand, along with half a dozen other major attractions, all to be built within 10 years and with a target attendance of more than 30 million,” he notes. Of course as Camp adds, nothing like it had
been planned or built before and many questioned whether or not the numbers visiting Dubai would ever sustain such incredibly grand plans. Having compared Dubai with other major tourist destinations and looked at relevant attendance levels, according to Camp Dubai was over ambitious when it came to its numbers. It wanted to be an Orlando, he comments, when in fact more realistic targets to aim for would have been similar to Australia’s Gold Coast. Even in best case scenarios, ERA’s analysis showed numbers would be way off, by millions, even by 2020. Camp also notes that if all the projects had been built, this scenario
would have left theme parks and other venues fighting it out in a massively competitive marketplace and inevitably, low numbers would have led to commercially unviable venues which would no doubt have deteriorated rapidly and the dream would have been over. “I can understand why they want a Universal Studios because of the
strength of that brand,” says Camp. “A LEGOLAND park or a LEGOLAND Discovery Centre would also suit the population dynamics and maybe an Aqua Dunya too, although whether or not another waterpark makes sense is open to question. When it was first mooted it was a good idea because it filled a gap in the market, but there are now three waterparks there already. “Kidzania has opened in the Dubai Mall and should be popular because
of the young, affluent market of both Arabs and westerners. There is also demand for indoor entertainment because of the heat. If the Mall of Arabia goes ahead the Restless Planet attraction will be great, while outside Dubai, the Ferrari Park in Abu Dhabi will be appealing.
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The WildWadi
waterpark in Dubai has proved
a popular attraction.
A special flat edition of Zamperla’s well-known
Disk’O, customised for the Al Mogren Group and installed at the Grand Mall, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
reality kicks in!
Dubai – reality kicks in!
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