UAE at the forefront of theme park trends

RITIKA SHARMA /
Emirates Business

UAE has always been atop the list of countries that are home to exciting theme parks and unmatchable thrill rides. The country is leading the way in growth of the theme-based entertainment industry, as Euromionitor report reveals that revenue from the sector is expected to reach US$837 million by 2019, with new parks on the cards and existing ones set to improve.
According to a PwC forecast, UAE’s total Leisure and Entertainment (L&E) market potential will reach 45 million visitors by 2021. In this context, UAE is fast-becoming the development hub for theme parks of the future. Among all the trends in the segment globally, the UAE is majorly leading Intellectual Property (IP) expansion with a significant proportion of its recent success in the leisure industry attributed to its popular selection of existing IPs.
Roland Zieher, Vice President of Operations, Farah Experiences, the operator of FerrariWorld and YasWaterWorld, told Emirates Business, “Trends in the entertainment industry are strongly driven by customers, and they today want to be wholly engaged in an experience. That’s why IP- based experiences have been taken precedence at many new attractions, utilizing the popularity and reliability of famous IPs to derive stories and interpret them into unique worlds, not just theme park experiences.”
As one of the most advanced and tech-savvy countries in the region where 60 percent of population is engaged on social channels, theme park goers believe that Wi-Fi would improve their day out experience.
“Media-based rides is another trend that’s taking over the theme park industry in which UAE is excelling, thanks to new technologies that enable developers and designers to place audiences at the heart of multi-sensory experiences, making them part of the storytelling in more ways than was previously possible,” added Zieher.
Out of all, the trend of ‘extreme thrills’ niches remains one of the most watched out for by the adventure lovers and tourists across the world. Experts believe that mainly tourists visits theme parks for these rides and that they help to make a brand image of the destination as well.
“This USP (extreme thrills) becomes even more riveting for customers when coupled with IP-based stories and values — and that’s the case at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi which boasts several record-breaking rides with gripping stories that make them unique in every way possible,” he said.
“For example, the Flying Aces rollercoaster is not only holder of the world’s records for tallest non-inverted loop, and steepest and fastest inclined cable lift — but is also an extreme flying experience that simulates the maneuvering flights of 1900’s fighter plane pilots… a story inspired from the original owner of the now famous Ferrari ‘Prancing Horse’. Guests are immersed even more profoundly in the back story through the meticulously themed journey to
the loading bay, where they can see, feel and touch the world those fighter pilots lived in back in the day,” he pointed out.