Dubai Parks and Resorts (DXB) has launched the world's first Bollywood-based theme park, which will form part of an ambitious destination consisting of three separate theme parks.
Showcasing rides and attractions based on Bollywood franchises, the new park offers a Bollywood experience across five different zones – Bollywood Boulevard, Mumbai Chowk, Rustic Ravine, Royal Plaza and Bollywood Film Studios.
“We’re extremely proud to see this magnificent entertainment destination revealed to the world after three years of hard work and perseverance,” said Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of the park’s owner, DXB Entertainments.”
“Dubai Parks and Resorts is paving the way for future entertainment destinations, and shall forever change the face of family tourism and entertainment in the region.”
The second of three launches following Legoland Dubai earlier this month, Bollywood Parks is the next piece in the puzzle for DXB, which is taking the unprecedented step of launching all three parks in a matter of months, with the closest similar move from a major theme park destination being Walt Disney World in Florida, which had a seven-year gap between the launches of Epcot and what is now Hollywood Studios.
The third and final piece of the launch puzzle will be completed on 16 December, with the launch of Motiongate Dubai. The destination will also gain a fourth park operating under the Six Flags umbrella later in 2019.
Matthew Priddy, chief technical officer for the US$2.9bn (€2.7bn, £2.3bn) DBX,
told Attractions Management earlier this year that the mega-resort’s launch will kickstart a tourism influx in the emirate as Dubai gears up for the 2020 Expo.
DXB is at the heart of what is being described as ‘Orlando 2.0’, with other major developments including a Fox theme park to open in 2018, Warner Bros World also to debut in 2018 and IMG Worlds of Adventure, which opened on 31 August.
“Just like Orlando, which is a destination city for theme parks, that’s what is going to end up happening here in Dubai,” said Priddy.
“I can think of half-a-dozen theme park projects under development in the area, not to mention the 2020 Expo. We look at those projects as complementary as they make people looking for that destination stay maybe a week as opposed to a couple of days. When that critical mass is in play then you’re going to have a regionally beneficial development from a both tourist and economical standpoint.”
