The upcoming Legoland theme park in Dubai will now include a water park.
It is scheduled to open alongside the wider Legoland Dubai in October next year, the developer, Dubai Parks and Resorts, and the operator, Merlin Entertainments, said yesterday.
The water park will offer attractions including a wave pool, a river ride in which visitors can design their own rafts and the interactive Imagination Station, where children can build bridges, dams and cities and test their designs against the flow of water.
The Legoland theme park, which will be spread across 3 million square feet and will be made from more than 60 million Lego bricks, will now have more than 100 rides and attractions.
Shares of Dubai Parks and Resorts fell 0.22 per cent to 92 fils on the Dubai Financial Market yesterday.
The multi-themed Dubai Parks and Resorts complex in Jebel Ali off Sheikh Zayed Road will also include Motiongate Dubai and Bollywood Parks Dubai, connected by the retail and entertainment walkway Riverland Dubai, as well as the Lapita Hotel, a Polynesian-themed resort under the Starwood brand.
Merlin’s Legoland division reported £120 million (Dh664.1m) in underlying profit – about 38 per cent of the group’s total earnings – last year, up from £106m in 2013. That came as the group opened a water park at its Legoland California.
Separately, Dubai Parks and Resorts last month signed up with the Mumbai-based Wizcraft International Entertainment to create a show for the Bollywood Parks.
Hoteliers across Dubai are pinning their hopes on the expansion of entertainment offerings as rates and occupancy are pressured by a growing supply of hotel rooms.
“While 2017 and 2018 could be the tougher years [for the hospitality sector], it could get better in 2019 gearing up for the Expo – we will wait to see the impact of the new attractions and the theme parks,” said Stefan Viard, the general manager of Vida Hotels and Resorts and Al Manzil Hotels.
“Dubai has a few unique selling points such as a flight time between four-and-a-half hours and six hours from Europe, safety and more attractions in town, which make it more than a malls and beach destination.”
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