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**[[Fantasia]]
**[[Fantasia]]
**Freej Dubailand
**Freej Dubailand
**Marvel Super Heroes Theme Park
**[[Marvel Superheroes Theme Park]]
**Tourism world
**Tourism world
**[[Legends of Dubailand]]
**[[Legends of Dubailand]]

Revision as of 00:09, 5 January 2010

For the investment company, see Dubai World.
Dubailand logo

Dubailand is an entertainment complex under development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is owned by Tatweer (which belongs to Dubai Holding) [citation needed]. Construction of Dubailand has been divided into four phases [citation needed]. Work is currently being carried out on phase one of the project which is expected to see completion some time between 2008 and 2010 [citation needed].

Development

The Dubailand project was officially announced on October 23, 2003. Dubailand will have an area of 278 km2 (107 sq mi) and include 45 "mega projects" and 200 sub projects.[1] To date, there are currently 22 projects under development.[2] Dubailand is divided into seven zones (worlds): Attractions and Experience World, Sports and Outdoor World, Eco-Tourism World, Themed Leisure and Vacation World, Retail and Entertainment World, and Downtown.[3] It will be twice the size of Walt Disney World Resort, and will be the largest collection of theme parks in the world; however, no theme park in Dubailand will surpass Disney's Animal Kingdom (located at Walt Disney World Resort) as the world's largest theme park. Private reaction towards the project has been positive and Dubai has exceeded the $4.9 billion private investment figure it expected on the entire project by collecting approximately $6 billion from the private sector for the first phase.

The first of four phases comprising the development of Dubailand will be completed in early 2008 since the developers decided to extend the park by 50% subsequently bumping up its completion date [citation needed]. Completion of the final phase is targeted for some time between 2013 and 2020. Dubailand is seen by its designers as a city and therefore like a city they expect it to continue to grow and develop beyond the four phase plan.

The Sahara Kingdom theme park, situated in the Attractions & Experience World, will cover 460,000 m2 (4,951,399 sq ft) and will combine high end virtual and physical theme park rides, attractions such as a state of the art gaming zone, IMAX theater, and integrated live and virtual entertainment shows, together with a retail zone, four hotels and residential accommodations. The theme of the development is traditional Arabian folklore and the tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Sahara Kingdom is due for completion in October 2010 [citation needed].

On January 19, 2008, Dreamworks announced plans to build a Dreamworks park in Dubailand.[4]

On March 4, 2008, Tatweer announced a strategic alliance with Six Flags to build the 5,000,000 sq ft (460,000 m2) Six Flags Dubailand theme park. The theme park is scheduled to break ground sometime in 2009.[5]

On May 1, 2008, Tatweer announced the launch of Freej Dubailand. Freej Dubailand will boast hotels totalling 2,600 keys, and feature retail, food and beverage outlets, as well as a spectrum of entertainment attractions.[6]

On May 2, 2008, it was announced that the design and conceptual master plan for a Marvel Superheroes theme park had been finalized, the first of its kind. It will include 17 rides and attractions on a 4,500,000 sq ft (420,000 m2) development. It will also comprise nine retail outlets on an area of 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2). Over 40 food and beverage outlets, including carts merchandising light refreshments, will be developed over 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2). Groundbreaking for the project is expected to be conducted in the first quarter of 2009, with the theme park scheduled to open doors on 1 January, 2012.[7] With The Walt Disney Company's 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, it is unknown if the theme park will be part of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chain.

On May 6, 2008, Tatweer announced a strategic alliance with Merlin Entertainments Group to build a Legoland park in Dubailand. The project will cost Dh912 million, occupy a total of 3,000,000 sq ft (278,709 m2), and will feature more than 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions geared towards families with children ages 2 to 12.[8] The park will open on 1 January 2012.[9]

A summary of the development problems being encountered by Dubailand is set out by 2daydubai.com as follows:

“Many of the delays to the Dubailand projects have resulted from the design and delivery of the project infrastructure. When selling parcels of land in 2003 and 2004, Dubailand informed investors that the roads and infrastructure would be ready by early 2006 – but this was seriously over optimistic.

Tatweer now considers that the main project infrastructure will be ready by early 2009. As it takes over two years to commission a sub station this may also be optimistic.

To complicate matters even further, in 2006 the responsibility for developing Dubailand’s infrastructure was transferred from the Dubailand Company and given to Tatweer subsidiary Mizin.

Although Tatweer’s involvement was intended to improve the delivery of infrastructure - it also presented conflict of interest issues - as Tatweer and its associate Dubai Holding companies Mizin, Liwan and Bawadi are developing their own Dubailand sub projects.” 2daydubai.com suggests that one way of resolving these various problems would be the creation of an “identical planning and governing authority” to that governing the Dubai International Financial Centre: [10] [11]

“The DIFC is a federal financial free zone with its own civil laws and courts designed to create a regional financial marketplace regulated according to the highest of international standards. The DIFC Authority oversees the development of the DIFC infrastructure – and its various precincts have been divided into separate development parcels allocated to individual developers via a tendering procedure. As an autonomous free zone the DIFC has its own planning rules and regulations governing size, location, setbacks, height, and bulk and density requirements applicable to each building project. Gensler, the master project architects, have developed a detailed written and illustrated master plan and a developer’s manual to ensure implementation of the master plan. Dubailand needs a similar internationally respected regulatory regime – it does not need to draw upon the best practices from leading jurisdictions such as the UK and the USA – it has its own perfect home grown model close by in the DIFC. Under this model all existing Dubailand investors would automatically be issued with a Dubailand license and all new Dubailand investors could apply directly to the new Dubailand Authority for an operating license – and complete all paperwork in a single one stop application procedure.

Ideally the new Dubailand Authority would commission a Masterplan based on the existing plot allocations - but like the DIFC providing for landscaping throughout the entire project to achieve a unity of look and finish throughout the master project. A developer’s manual would also be ideal.

All the experts agree that Gensler Architects have achieved an extraordinarily successful result in the DIFC – all from inspirational theory and sound planning practice. An amusement park is of course a very different institution from an international financial centre – but we are talking about a US$64billion amusement park with major local and international individual and corporate investors – a master project 100 times larger in size than the DIFC - and with much more complex planning and infrastructure requirements. Dubailand – which will rank with the Dubai beaches and Dubai shopping as one of the most important permanent tourist assets in the future of the emirate - deserves nothing less than the best.” [12] [13]

This proposal warrants serious consideration by the Dubai Government in the light of the delay, infrastructure, and conflict of interest problems Dubailand is presently undergoing – and would provide a major boost to the confidence of international investors considering a Dubailand presence.

Open attractions

  • Dubai Autodrome in Dubai Motor City
  • Global Village
  • Al Sahra Desert Resort. Located in the eco-tourism section of Dubailand, the Al Sahra Desert Resort officially opened in November 2006 and is home of Dubai's first permanent outdoor show - 'Jumana - Secret of the Desert' - a show celebrating the Arabian region's history and culture, incorporating folklore themes from Persia, the Maghreb, the Levant, the Persian Gulf region, Oman and Yemen. Performed in an open-air amphitheatre, the show incorporates various imagistic theatre techniques such as sound, laser and water effects, pyrotechnics and fireworks; 60 dancers and acrobats, camels and horses, compliment the cast; Omar Sharif is the voice of the narrator. Al Sahra also offers a traditional crafts souq and various attractions such as camel treks, horse rides, donkey-cart rides to enjoy in the dunescape.

Zones

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Dubailand". Property Developments. TEN Real Estate. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  2. ^ Dubailand website
  3. ^ "FAQs about Dubailand" (PDF). Union Interfusion. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
  4. ^ DreamWorks to set up theme park in Dubai - ArabianBusiness.com
  5. ^ "Tatweer and Six Flags Announce Strategic Alliance to Develop Thrill Theme Parks in the Arab World and beyond".
  6. ^ "Freej Dubailand".
  7. ^ "Marvel Superheroes Theme Park".
  8. ^ [1]- gulfnews.com
  9. ^ - 7days.ae
  10. ^ http://www.2daydubai.com/pages/difc.php
  11. ^ [2]
  12. ^ http://www.2daydubai.com/pages/dubailand.php#invest
  13. ^ [3]
  14. ^ Dubailand Sub-developments - TEN Real Estate

25°05′N 55°18′E / 25.083°N 55.300°E / 25.083; 55.300

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