With tourism contributing to almost 8.5 per cent of its GDP this year, the United Arab Emirates is investing in infrastructure projects to attract a higher number of visitors.
Prakash Vivekanand, managing director of Amusement Services International, said: “The GCC retail sector and particularly UAE stands at a unique threshold with a combination of factors set to drive growth into the future.
“New retail space and entertainment centres are being developed across the region as families and increasing tourist traffic prefer to spend time in malls and indoor theme parks. These sentiments are echoed throughout the entertainment and amusement industry.” The Dubai Expo 2020 is expected to bring 25 million visitors, 70 per cent of whom will come from abroad. This is expected to further boost visits to theme parks and retail malls, encouraging the growth of FECs in UAE.
Sharif Rahman, CEO of International Expo Consults, the organisers of the DEAL show, said: “UAE will surely lead the space. Innovation will remain a key component for both FECs and theme parks. And both can operate seamlessly in the environment that Dubai offers. We have witnessed a giant leap in the industry since we started this show 22 years ago.”
He said that DEAL has shaped the region’s entertainment industry for the past two decades and has “brought together great minds and their world-class concepts all under one umbrella.”
Picture: Prakash Vivekanand, managing director, Amusement Services International
