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Sunaina Rana / EMIRATES BUSINESS
The phenomenal rise of educational play (or popularly known as ‘eduplay’ theme parks) has given a much-needed boost to the amusement industry in the UAE. This region has seen an exponential growth in the unique concept of ‘edutainment’, strategically combining the tenets of education with entertainment. The novel idea has attracted the interest of the international stakeholders’ towards the region’s burgeoning entertainment and retail industry.
According to a PwC report, it has been estimated that the advancements in the upcoming UAE amusement tourist destinations is predicted to attract about 18 million theme park visits in the next five years. “Entertainment and amusement sector as a whole will strongly boost the region’s tourism industry in the coming years. In fact, the ongoing meetings related to the Expo2020 have already covered the edutainment category, establishing the importance of this concept on the region,†said Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, Chairman of International Expo Consults (IEC) told Emirates Business.
“In addition, the rise of numerous edutainment zones in the region is in line with the leadership’s vision of boosting the tourism sector and positioning UAE as a family tourism destination,†said Falaknaz.
The Dubai Entertainment Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) Show 2016, rated as the amusement industry’s most vital and successful trade show outside of the US, will showcase the latest innovations and concepts in theme parks and family entertainment centres (FECs) in its upcoming edition in April.