The size of the United Arab Emirates’ leisure and entertainment market will increase to 45m people by 2021, a growth of 70 per cent, says PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC) in a report which has just been issued.
Ten major new theme parks and two safari parks are due to open in the Emirates by 2020 and by the following year international tourists will account for 31m while residents and their relatives will account for a further 14m visitors.
The report states that the major developments, such as Dubai-I, Dubai Pearl and Dream Island will attract 18m visitors by 2021, which compares with the current expectations of 6.7m in Singapore and 15m in Hong Kong.
Phil Taylor, director of Team Leisure and previously chief executive of Ski Dubai and executive director of the London Eye, said: “Dubai is now considered as an international city on the same stage as New York, Paris, Tokyo or London and is leading the development of the UAE leisure market together with Abu Dhabi. The next five years will see a transformation of the UAE’s leisure and entertainment offering.”
He added: “Not many people recognise that the pioneering Downtown Dubai is modelled after the Kuala Lumpur City development – designed to be a city within a city. The Dubai-I will be operated by Merlin, who also operate the London Eye and that gives me added confidence in its success.”
