City of Arabia: Of roaring dinosaurs and themed entertainment

City of Arabia has been a story in the making since it broke ground in 2006. It has been through a bit of a roller-coaster ride in terms of progress, like other developments in Dubai. However, it is precisely the roller coasters of the IMG World of Adventures Theme Park (IMGWOA) that will bring this huge development to life next year.

“IMGWOA, the brainchild of the IMG Group, will let visitors discover the excitement of an epic journey bursting with thrills, speed and adventures,” says Adam Alexander Page, IMG Group’s Vice-President of Group Marketing.

The Marvel, Cartoon Network, Lost Valley and IMG Boulevard zones will come into their own with their unique look and design. IMG has collaborated with award-winning theme-park design agency Falcon’s Treehouse in developing the project, which will showcase a wide variety of entertainment offerings from adrenaline-pumping roller coasters to immersive themed experiences. “IMGWOA will feature an array of attractions for guests of all ages, exceeding their entertainment desires,” promises Page.

The 350,000-square-foot Marvel Zone will offer a range of entertainment experiences inspired by superhero icons from the Marvel Universe, including Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and The Avengers.

Uncharted territory

Whether the much-promoted Marvel theme park will work in Dubai is still up in the air, according to Stefan Zwanzger, owner of the website The Theme Park Guy, which reviews and rates theme parks around the world. Marvel licensed its names and characters to IMG Group, but Marvel was later acquired by Disney. According to Zwanzger, Disney is leaving it all up to IMG to develop the zone.

“Universal Studios Orlando Resort has a successful and superb Marvel section, but you really can’t compare these two since they involve completely different people,” he says.

They include The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time and LazyTown. “It will also feature the world’s largest Ben 10 retail store and the first Ben 10 5D ride along with branded restaurants and other branded immersive experiences,” he adds.

The Lost Valley, spanning 270,000 sq ft, will be home to the roaring dinosaurs, which are expected to become one of the popular attractions among visitors.

“Representing dinosaurs from different ages, Lost Valley will be the home of animatronic dinosaurs, resembling multiple species and time periods of these extinct creatures. Featuring the latest technology and dynamic sound effects, Lost Valley will be a complete family entertainment zone and will exhibit adventurous rides such as The Velociraptor Launch Coaster and multiple other attractions,” Page says.

Saturation point

Furthermore, each zone will have its own food and beverage, retail and other offerings that are all linked to the IMG Boulevard. Spanning 200,000 sq ft, IMG Boulevard serves as the welcome zone of the park with a bright and vibrant themed entertainment area featuring its own unique adventure offerings.

“This zone will be a one-stop destination featuring unique dining venues, vast tailored retail outlets and a wide range of interactive entertainment experiences completing what is an unmissable offering for fans and families to enjoy,” says Page. A state-of-the-art, 12-screen cinema adjacent to the family entertainment facility will also be developed.

There is a lot to look forward to as additional entertainment amenities are needed in Dubai, according to John Podaras, Partner at Hotel Development Resources. He says Dubai could be reaching a saturation point in terms of demand growth for existing attractions such as Downtown Burj Khalifa and Wild Wadi among others.

“Consequently, a new set of attractions are required if Dubai is to continue the growth that is being planned by the administration. Clearly, this requires a multi-pronged strategy and we can also see that the resources being pumped into airports and airlines are yielding results as passenger traffic has increased year-on-year,” says Podaras.

“Other initiatives that drive the growth of the exhibition and conference market, sports tourism, etc, are also being pursued. However, it is entertainment attractions that Dubai has been striving for, bringing in leisure visitors who will stay for a week or fortnight,” he adds.

Downsize

According to Podaras, this strategy is becoming increasingly apparent with other projects such as Meraas’ Bluewater Island, which will house the Dubai Wheel, going ahead at full speed.

IMG’s decision to create IMGWOA, instead of the original Restless Planet, fits into Dubai’s overall strategy, taking into account future developments.

“The theme park is now much smaller and realistic than originally envisaged. It’s good that they have acquired the funding to get at least the first small section done. This has to be a positive,” comments Craig Plumb, Head of Research at Jones Lang LaSalle Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

Page says: “A unique facility of this magnitude will also generate a significant demand in the vicinity for hotels and hotel apartments, along with other retail and leisure components. In terms of the number of attractions, rides, restaurants, size, etc, we do have a great offering here that will entertain people for a minimum of a day,” says Page, adding that IMGWOA, owned and managed by Ilyas Galadari and Mustafa Galadari, IMG’s Executive Co-Chairmen, has secured strategic financial investment from Al Hilal Bank and Mashreq Bank.

Podaras agrees that the theme park will support the development of a variety of leisure-oriented hotels offering good connection to the park and a range of packages. “[It is] similar to what happens at the Atlantis and the Jumeirah hotel cluster and Wild Wadi,” he points out.

IMGWOA is readying to receive 20,000 visitors a day and Podaras reckons this is a realistic number. “It may appear ambitious, however, Dubai now has sufficient international presence to be able to generate demand for an attraction such as this, especially as critical mass is approached with the delivery of the other projects currently under planning or construction,” he reasons.

Dubai also faces little competition as the centre of entertainment in the region and further afield, according to Zwanzger, The Theme Park Guy. “Not much else is happening. Adlabs Imagica may open another franchise in Hyderabad and there are indications that Qatar is planning something. But that’s about it,” he says.

A key factor in IMGWOA’s success, Podaras believes, is the timely development of transport infrastructure that gets visitors to the site and to other Dubai attractions comfortably and within a reasonable time frame.

“The road network with junctions and flyovers is constantly being improved. However, public transport will also prove extremely important. If Dubai is successful in being awarded Expo 2020, the delivery of extensive infrastructure to that part of Dubai in terms of rail, metro and tram service is a given. However, interim and alternate solutions will have to be found when the park is due for delivery,” Podaras points out.

Moreover, construction of the structural columns and roof of the theme park is going ahead of other planned residential and retail components, which are usually developed first to generate cash flow from off-plan sales during construction. Podaras believes this is a positive sign.

“With financing secured from Al Hilal and Mashreq, it would appear that the theme parks are going ahead at full speed independently of the remainder of the City of Arabia,” he says.

Page adds: “The exciting thing is that when the park opens all four zones, rides, leisure, fun concepts, dining facilities, etc, will all be available by next year.”

On the other hand, the completion of the other components of City of Arabia remains less clear. “Like all aspects of Dubailand, City of Arabia has been drastically scaled back and is now being developed over a much longer time frame than was originally, unrealistically envisaged,” comments Plumb.

He adds: “There is definitely improved demand for some developments along Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, mostly residential, so I would not be surprised when the residential component of the City of Arabia proceeds.”

Low-rise apartments

The Wadi Walk, the residential component of City of Arabia, remains under construction, although it has been sold out. It comprises 1,600 low-rise apartments, a large retail colonnade and picturesque waterways. The developer has not announced a completion date. According to a progress report from Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera), only shell structures of some of the buildings were found during an inspection in June, while some areas have been excavated, but work has been put on hold.

The Wadi Tower, meanwhile, is clearly visible from Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road and looks like it is nearing completion. According to Rera’s progress report, work has been progressing this year. At the 45-storey I&M commercial tower, piling work was ongoing in May, while foundation work is in full swing at the mixed-use Metro Towers, which is also 45 storeys tall.

“I am not sure if the rest of the City of Arabia will be developed anytime soon. The government now seems more concerned with shifting components from Dubailand to Jebel Ali [around the World Expo site] in respect of theme parks and to Mohammed Bin Rashid City [MBR City] for other uses. This is a more sensible location being closer to the city,” remarks Plumb.

The design of the City of Arabia also includes more than 30 towers lining up its border, including the rotating Time Residences and the 55 Time Dubai, according to the Rera progress report. However, in the aftermath of the global economic downturn, there has been little progress, if anything, as in the case of Time Residences, which has shown evidence of excavation although shoring has not started yet.

Mall of Arabia, where foundation and piling work is in full swing, will go ahead, but it has been downsized, according to a source, who visited the site recently but requested not to be named.

Plumb agrees with the move to scale down the project: “I cannot see any immediate demand for the retail components of the City of Arabia. Surely, this will be scaled back or delayed further in light of the construction of the Mall of the World in MBR City.”

IMG won’t confirm this, but Page said additions and adaptations are common in such projects. “However, a huge amount of work was done on infrastructure, the foundation for City of Arabia,” he says.

Podaras reckons that retail development in City of Arabia makes sense, as it will augment the attractions and help boost the number of hotel guests. “City of Arabia was initially envisaged to have three hotels — one at the entrance that would act as a gateway into Dubailand, one at the Mall of Arabia and a small boutique hotel and spa in the residential cluster,” he says, although adding that he’s not aware of any hotel project in the area that has been launched.

On the other hand, while it is practical to scale down the mall development, Podaras believes the original plan to make it the largest has its own merits. “[With] Emaar’s announcement of the expansion of Dubai Mall and the development of another similarly sized shopping mall at MBR City, it would probably be a brave move to consider something in the scale of the original Mall of Arabia,” Podaras says.