Kingdom of theme parks EDITORIAL

Family-centric travel has emerged as the latest trend in the Middle East over the past few years and will continue to grow. According to Thomson Reuters’ data, the value of the global family tourism market was $140 billion in 2013. This figure is set to rise over $180 billion by 2018 with growth expected to continue at a rate of 4.79 per cent annually until 2020 compared with just 3.8 per cent of overall tourism growth. The Economist Intelligence Unit estimated that the GCC population would reach 53.5 million by 2020, 24 per cent of which would be under 15 years of age. The Dubai Capital of Islamic Economy initiative has identified the UAE as a top source market for family travel, with spending power worth over $10 billion.

Therefore, the UAE is applying a new strategy to attract family-centric travellers to its destinations. From August 15, there will be a steady growth in family tourism in the United Arab Emirates with the first IMG Worlds Adventure theme park opening in Dubai. Their expected visitor turnout for the first year is quite promising as they estimate it to be 4.5 million visitors. The next on the cards is Dubai Parks and Resorts which is scheduled to open by October and has an estimated ticketed sales of 6.7 million visitors for the first year. In Abu Dhabi, the Warner Bros World on Yas Island is scheduled to open in 2018 and aims to increase visitors to Yas Island to 30 million by 2018. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi’s three year expansion, which started in 2014, includes the opening of seven new rides and attractions and is expected to increase the park’s overall capacity by 40 per cent.

With these new developments for family travel, United Arab Emirates is applying a crowd-pulling strategy to get their fair share of tourists from around the globe. In terms of security, it stands out as a safe haven when compared to other countries. The concept of theme parks is bound to put UAE on a forward moving platform to promote the country as a family destination.