Tourism to boost leisure sector
dubai — A surge in the development of mega and community shopping malls, and an ever increasing number of tourists to the UAE, have created a growing demand for amusement and leisure offerings in the region, experts have said.
Speaking at the Dubai Entertainment Amusement & Leisure (Deal 2018) exhibition, Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, chairman of International Expo-Consults (IEC), the show organiser, noted that industry experts are optimistic about growth in the sector in the coming years.
“There are lots of projects, both big and small, that will be coming up in the next few years; and, that is important. The industry is doing very well. The demand that we are seeing for the leisure and amusement industry comes from within the UAE, as well as from the growing number of visitors. With the country’s plans for attracting a record number of visitors by 2020, we are certain that the demand will only grow.”
Deal 2018 was officially inaugurated by Butti Saeed Al Ghandi, second vice-chairman of the Board, Dubai World Trade Centre Authority. The event brings together nearly 315 exhibitors from over 40 countries, who will be showcasing their latest and most innovative offerings at the show. The show has also attracted nearly 30 per cent new exhibitors from around the world, including Valley-Dynamo from USA, Ice-World International from Netherlands, CLCorporation from France, Kynoa SA from Switzerland, Dein Interdecor SA from Spain, Prologic from UAE, Sega Amusements International from UK, Hysteria Entertainment from UAE, and Kilic Lunapark from Turkey among others.
In 2016, the total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the UAE’s GDP was Dh159.1 billion, which translates to 12.1 per cent of GDP. The figure is expected to rise by 4.9 per cent annually to Dh264.5 billion by 2027. Part of the industry are the themeparks and the family entertainment centres, which have witnessed significant growth in the past few years. Warner Bros Abu Dhbai is scheduled to launch in the summer this year. Earlier this year also witnessed the launch of a fully fledged VR park in Dubai mall.
Highlighting the trends in the market, Nabil Kassim, GM of Warehouse of Games, said that there is an increased focus on entertainment options that are based on the latest movies. “Marvel and DC movies have proven to be extremely popular and it is not uncommon to see those being translated into leisure and amusement games.”
Sharif Rahman, CEO of IEC, said, “We are at a very exciting time for the entertainment industry in the middle east. There are a lot of factors promoting growth of the industry not just in the UAE, but the rest of the region as well. For example Saudi Arabia opened up its entertainment sector as part of social reforms the kingdom is undergoing. The region is undergoing a transformation and as a result a lot of growth is expected to result from all the changes.”