$2.7bn theme park complex to be built in Jebel Ali
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum approves plans for massive entertainment complex
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Dubai will build a massive entertainment complex in Jebel Ali that will house five theme parks; it was announced on Monday as the emirate’s tourism sector looks for a boost in its road to recovery.
HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the plans for the $2.7bn development that will ‘deliver a multi-faceted leisure and entertainment experience to residents and tourists of Dubai’.
Meraas Holding, the Dubai based developer, has been selected to develop the project, the first stage of which is set to be completed in 2014.
“Meraas has been working with several industry experts to bring together a powerful mix of components that fulfill the need for a pure entertainment-based destination. The new initiative comes in response to Dubai’s status as a top global touristic destination which will contribute to the growth of the economy,” Abdulla Ahmed Mohammed Al Habbai, chairman of Meraas Holding.
The project will be built around Dubai Adventure Studios, an amusement park that will host popular Hollywood brands and showcase a range of rides.
Another park pencilled in for development is ‘Bollywood Parks’, which will be themed on India’s film industry.
Meraas confirmed that it has signed partnership agreements with several Mumbai based film studios for content, while it will also build a large theatre within the park which will host Broadway style musicals.
A number of other attractions will be built, the developer said, with a children’s park, a water park and a night safari also in the pipeline.
“With work on critical infrastructure including transport links gaining speed in the emirates, Dubai’s projections for the tourism sector are optimistic and well-founded. We expect the comprehensive offering to set a new benchmark within the leisure and entertainment industry and offer tourists one more reason to visit Dubai,” Al Habbai added.
The news of the project comes after Sheikh Mohammed announced plans for a tourism and retail development called Mohammed bin Rashid City which will contain the largest shopping mall in the world.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that work on the second phase of the tallest hotel in the world, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road.