Dubai doesn’t stop surprising the world with its agility and determination — a city led by a sharp vision that challenges the impossible and races against time in its mission towards excellence. These are some watchwords that figure prominently in headlines when the story of Dubai is told.

But, to everyone’s surprise or maybe excitement, this is not the entire story. There is an element that extends beyond the vision and the agility. This intangible component is the vibe, aura and charm that is quintessentially Dubai.

For me, what differentiates Dubai from the world is its soul — the soul of a visionary and results-driven leader. An insightful observer monitoring the rise of Dubai and its emergence to where it is today can clearly see that this city is driven by more than just its vision and location. The whole city rises together, manoeuvres and asserts its position in relation to regional developments as one unit, fights back obstacles with determination and, most importantly, identifies opportunities before they appear on anyone else’s radar or horizon.

This passion and vigour for life combined with the courage to admit its mistakes, learn from them and take on new challenges enhances Dubai’s credibility as a global hub for business and leisure. Unlike many other cities that change course once faced with initial hurdles, Dubai halts, but never stops. Dubai weighs its options and pursues its dreams at a much faster pace, and in more elegant ways than any other city has ever achieved.

From a sea of sand with a few hotels and a modest infrastructure in the 1980s, Dubai has emerged as a global hub for business and tourism boasting an impressive number of international brands under its belt and some equally astounding landmarks on its soil. But can Dubai raise the bar once again? And can Dubai turn itself from a regional tourism hub to a full-fledged global tourist destination?

The answer is a resounding “yes”. Dubai Parks & Resorts LLC has assumed the responsibility for expanding Dubai’s tourism landscape as one of the key stakeholders in delivering a landmark leisure and entertainment destination. The world is poised to experience a new milestone that will add to Dubai’s enviable track record of innovative initiatives.

Now, Dubai Parks & Resorts LLC has unveiled yet another mega tourism initiative, a project that includes a number of theme parks in its first phase. Featuring some of the world’s most popular IPs in the leisure and entertainment domain, the project is set to become a global first in uniquely hosting the best attractions from the East and the West.

Trends

Dubai Parks & Resorts will span 25 million square feet when complete — strategically equidistant from Dubai International Airport and the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Needless to mention, this location grants first-option access to Al Maktoum International Airport and will offer convenience to those heading to the Expo 2020 site in years to come.

The company’s plans are in perfect sync with international tourism trends. Again, it is Dubai’s special strength to spot an opportunity and match it with a project ahead of any other city.

Global tourism reports indicate a major shift in industry patterns. The world’s population demographics are changing in an unprecedented way with the rapid increase in the middle-class populations in both India and China, as well as in countries within a four- to six-hour flight radius from Dubai. A sizeable percentage of this includes young families with children who seek a specific form of entertainment that is at once sophisticated and yet family-focused in its offerings and leisure getaways.

The Dubai Parks & Resorts project has been planned to appeal to a variety of tastes and cultures that span the East and West. The parks are designed to offer content based immersive experiences in the form of rides, shows, hands-on attractions and diversified options of themed lodging and dining. As a complete tourist ecosystem it will play a major role in changing the tourism patterns in Dubai with regard to the sum total of tourist dollars spent, duration of the tourist’s visit to the emirate, and repeat visits thereafter.

Benefits

The addition of Dubai Parks & Resorts to the current list of offerings will provide enough reasons for tourists to extend their current average stay. It will emerge as a family-orientated tourism destination that influences visitor spending and generates a spillover effect into businesses supporting the destination’s ecosystem while benefitting the city as a whole.

Dubai Parks & Resorts will also work with universities and institutions to build capacity and harness talent to position the UAE as a catalyst for the expansion of the global $30 billion entertainment industry.

Dubai Parks & Resorts is set to open doors at a time when many Middle Eastern countries demonstrate limited interest in developing the region’s touristic potential and shaping offerings to cater to the anticipated surge in visitor numbers. It will provide a sophisticated, world-class and safe getaway destination for families and individuals alike, making it integral to the fabric of Dubai as a 21st century destination city.

The writer is CEO of Dubai Parks & Resorts LLC, a Meraas Holding company.