22 Sep 2017
Exclusive: Dubai on target to become Orlando 2.0, says Worlds of Adventure CEO
BY Tom Anstey
Dubai is still in the early stages but is definitely on track to achieve the status of ‘Orlando 2.0’ – that’s the opinion of IMG Worlds of Adventure CEO, Lennard Otto.
Otto stated his belief that competition in the region will breed success, priming Dubai to act as an attractions hub in the Middle East and further afield.
Speaking exclusively to Attractions Management Otto backed up comments made in January last year, saying there there was nothing available on the scale of Dubai’s growing attractions sector in the region.
“The number of attractions opening right now – not only theme parks but also entertainment and leisure activities coming into the market is quite staggering,” said Otto.
“The plan for the next five years, not only for us but for everyone, is to add more, more and more into this programme.
“It’s definitely on the right track. It’s in the early stages and for the next two-to-three years the operation will be largely driven on educating the local market and educating the international market on what there is to offer here, and that it is on par to what you would find in Orlando and some of the other cities around the world in terms of attractions mix, scale, quality and branding.”
A 2015 study by Pricewaterhousecoopers’ (PwC) Middle East division suggested that the UAE was starting to challenge for the capital of global entertainment and leisure crown as theme park revenues were forecast to shoot up 78 per cent by 2019, with the region becoming a serious competitor to Orlando by 2021.
Orlando 2.0 is a philosophy other operators in the region also believe in. During development of Dubai Parks and Resorts, chief technical officer Matthew Priddy said its three parks – with a fourth currently under development under the Six Flags banner – would kickstart a tourism influx in the emirate, helping drive the Orlando model for the region. Likewise, Greg Lombardo, the man heading up Fox’s Dubai theme park development, called Dubai a “gateway” to a crowded European market, praising the area as a new emerging hub for the attractions sector.
According to Otto, Dubai will only reach its Orlando 2.0 goal if it, and the attractions within the market, can carve a unique niche for the Middle East and the rest of the world.
“The mission now is that everyone has to find their own unique position in this new market and that’s what will be key to making it sustainable,” he said. “We know what our key USPs are and we’re working on those.
“I think over the long run, we see the competition ultimately benefiting all of us. We’re trying to grow a new sector of tourism for Dubai and the UAE. We need more attractions to drive higher visitor numbers here.”
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