A new waterpark will open in Dubai very soon, according to the CEO of Dubai Holding Entertainment (DHE). Speaking at the Rise summit in Dubai on Wednesday, Fernando Eiroa revealed that the water park will open in the next couple of months.
"It's specifically for the summer and there is a lot of water around it," Eiroa said, confirming it will be a water park added to the Dubai Parks and Resorts portfolio.
The announcement came as Fernando discussed the scale of Dubai's entertainment offering. He said entertainment has become central to the emirate's tourism success. "Dubai has been and is very well known for amazing hotels, different experiences, and now it is an entertainment destination," he said.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Global Village overtakes Disney's Magic Kingdom
Fernando highlighted Global Village as a standout success. The attraction now attracts nearly 50,000 visitors a day on average- overtaking Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida as the world's most visited theme park by average daily attendance.
"This is an amazing achievement. We are in a much smaller country than the US," he said. "Having a theme park where we receive an average of 50,000 people a day is an unbelievable achievement."
Global Village opens its 31st season today. Fernando said its secret is listening to customers and offering something new every season. "When we open Global Village, people tell me this is when we know the good weather is coming," he said.
He added that customer expectations regarding entertainment have changed. People now have instant information about attractions worldwide, and they compare.
"What I have seen in the last few years is that people want to be part of it. It's more active entertainment versus passive entertainment," he said.
He pointed to the Real Madrid theme park at Dubai Parks and Resorts, the first football theme park in the world, where families compete against each other in football challenges.
Parks reopened
Last week, the Dubai Parks and Resorts reopened after being closed for six months. Fernando said that the group used the downtime for refurbishment.
"We took the opportunity to add restaurants, refurbish some attractions, and do maintenance," he said. "We have reopened all parks and the demand is amazing."
The group recently opened 14 new attractions at Riverland, including go-karts, bowling, and Lamborghini simulators.