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World’s Largest Swimming Lesson
get involved! On Tuesday 18 June, visitors to aquatic facilities around the world will unite as they strive to set a world record. Now in its fourth yeasr, the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) attempt will take place at 3pm GMT (4pm CET/11am ET/ 8am PT). “Team WLSL” holds the current Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson, with 24,873 participants representing 15 different countries across five continents. The 2012 WLSL event
generated more than 29 million media
impressions, spreading the event’s
important message. Tragically,
drowning remains the leading cause of unintended injury-related death for children ages one to five, and the second leading cause of accidental death for those under 14. Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children under five, yet many do not receive formal swimming or water safety training. A wide range of waterparks and aquatic facilities, from Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon near Orlando to locations in Brazil, Dubai and the UK, are participating in the event to help send the message that swimming lessons save lives. The World Waterpark
Association is one of around 20 organisations promoting this laudable initiative. “The greater the participation, the more families we’re able to reach with this crucial message,” says WWA president Rick Root. To find a participating venue near you – or to put your waterpark or attraction forward as an official host location – visit
www.wlsl.org.
APRIL 2013
Park Bloggin’ by Dennis Speigel
The Middle East its time has come
Its time has come. Ten years ago was too soon. The Middle East – while wanting, hoping and trying – just wasn’t ready for the true launch of major theme parks. Immaturity, poor economy, lack of population – all of these factors played a role in the false start that parks were experiencing in the region. Dubai was the location that spawned a feeding frenzy for theme park development. Here, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there was a race to be the first to develop parks as other major parts of the world had done already. Until recently, no one did. The race was bizarre. At International Theme Park Services (ITPS) we watched the many announcements and proposed developments with great scepticism. Over a dozen themed attractions were being proposed in Dubai alone. At that time, we queried, “How could a city/country with a population of just 2 million support more than one major theme park?” It was a crazy time. Large sums of money were being paid to park organisations to obtain their intellectual property rights. Companies like Warner Bros, Six Flags, Sea World, Universal, Dreamworks, Marvel and Merlin were all being encouraged to build or licence parks in Dubai.
What happened two years later was that all of these projects were halted, cancelled or abandoned altogether. Reality set in as the global economic crisis dealt the crowning blow. For those of us who follow the industry closely, it was an inevitability that was greatly anticipated. Seven to 10 years later, a more realistic approach to theme park development is being forged in the Middle East. Projects are being revisited in Dubai, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar. Each of these emirates and countries is looking at and studying carefully the types of parks that can realistically be built and prosper in their respective markets. Ferrari World is the classic Middle Eastern theme park case study for all to observe. A 200,000 square metre indoor attraction located on Yas Island in Abu
Dhabi (the UAE capital), it was and still is the largest indoor theme park in the world. Located inside a beautiful building, it opened to disappointing reviews by many visitors. Comments like “boring”, “lame” and “disappointing” plagued the project. Attendance was enormously below projections. After several attempts to re-energise Ferrari World – including various management changes – it is rumoured that the parent company, Aldar, is planning a major expansion to boost attendance. An adjacent waterpark, Yas Waterworld, has already opened. Hopefully these developments will reignite interest in Ferrari World and the wider Yas Island development. Other Middle Eastern countries are also planning parks. This time, it seems there is a more realistic approach to design, planning and costing. While this area of the world is incredibly wealthy (as we all know), proper planning must be utilised when considering the development of a theme park. Parks must be planned based on local population and tourism, and must have supporting infrastructure. It has been our experience at ITPS that government support for projects in this region is being provided at the highest level. In an emerging region for theme park development, history has shown that success breeds success. When properly planned, built and operated, theme parks will work anywhere in the world. Proper sizing at every level is key. Parks must be built based on what the market will support during the first five years of operation.
The Middle East had a rough start 10 years ago when everyone was in the frenzied race to out build one another. I believe the people in this region have learned a lot, are smart, and have been educated as to the correct way to develop parks in the future. I believe this time they will get it right. From 23 to 25 April, the Dubai World Trade Centre will host DEAL, the premier theme park trade show in the Middle East. It will be interesting to see what new ideas are presented. During this and the supporting conference programme, I bet that there will be a major dose of reality exhibited by both developers and exhibitors.
The time is right for the Middle East to get it right. Now that the region has got over those inevitable growing pains, we will see what has been learned and how it can move forward. “Inshallah”, it will.
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi – the classic Middle Eastern theme park case study
Dennis Speigel is president of International Theme Park Services (
interthemepark.com), a leading US- based attraction management/consulting firm. A past IAAPA president, Dennis boasts over five decades of industry experience after beginning his career as a seasonal employee at Cincinnati amusement parks Coney Island and Kings Island.
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