A decade of development has placed the Middle East at the forefront of the theme parks and family entertainment centres industry, said the head of the company which stages the DEAL trade show in Dubai each year.

Image: Abdul Rahman Falaknaz

Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, chairman of International Expo Consults, said in a recent press interview that the decade has seen “the entertainment landscape totally changed.”

Falaknaz added that the UAE would play a pivotal role in the global billion-dollar industry’s future.

“Highly innovative and creative theme park and FEC concepts in the UAE will be one of the key factors that will attract and drive millions of tourists and local residents to these entertainment destinations,” he said.

He added that the 1.5m sq.ft IMG Worlds of Adventure theme park is set to open in Dubailand this summer and three additional major parks, Legoland, Motiongate and Bollywood, in Jebel Ali adjacent to Dubai, were set to start operating by October. Six Flags Dubai is scheduled to open, also in Jebel Ali, by the end of next year.

“A decade ago the entertainment landscape was totally different. However, there has been a paradigm shift and we have witnessed a giant leap within the theme park and amusement industry market place,” said Falaknaz.

“We are certainly setting an example for the others to follow. We have seen the industry grow in stages; however, the last five years have seen an exponential growth and it will continue to keep up the momentum in the coming years.”

Image: Abdul Rahman Falaknaz