The world’s largest indoor theme park, featuring popular Marvel and Cartoon Network-branded rides, has opened its doors to the public in the Middle East’s tourist hub of Dubai the latest in a myriad of new attractions here.
The first visitors at the park, spread over an expanse of 1.5 million square feet, reflected the diverse crowds that visit Dubai and live in the city, home to the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Middle East’s largest mall and a man-made island in the shape of a palm tree that is dotted with luxury hotels.
Diverse crowd
Saudi women dressed in abayas, the traditional loose black robes, and the full face-veil, rode alongside tank-top wearing British tourists on the park’s roller coasters and attractions.
Several families with young children complained that some of the rides stalled several times. Others said they were thrilled by the adventure park’s indoor boulevard that leads visitors through Marvel and Cartoon Network zones, a “Haunted Hotel” and a Lost Valley Dinosaur zone.
The IMG Worlds of Adventure park recorded about 3,000 visitors on the opening day of Wednesday as temperatures rose to 38 degrees Celsius outside.
Ali al-Subai, a visitor from Saudi Arabia, said he was happy the Gulf region has a place like this to visit during the summer. The 26-year-old said he visited Dubai at least four times a year and hoped his country too would one day open similar theme parks.
The adventure park is one of two major theme parks opening this year in Dubai, part of an effort to attract 20 million tourists annually by 2020, when the emirate is to host the World Expo. Last year, some 14 million people visited Dubai, according to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. The highest share of visitors came from neighbouring Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia topping the list.
Teens Abdullah Jameel and Sultan al-Suweidi, both from Dubai, said they enjoyed the park more than Universal Studios in Singapore. They said the IMG Worlds of Adventure park won in their opinion because of shorter lines and more exciting rides.
They beamed after riding the Velociraptor roller coaster that swoops through the indoor park, then juts out into the Dubai desert surrounding the park before going back inside. Another attraction is the Predator roller coaster, with its sharp, vertical drop.
Slide with Spider-Man
Spider-Man too has his own ride, a spinning roller coaster that propels riders through a New York City skyline, soaring much like the fictional superhero would as he fights to save the city from the sinister Doctor Octopus. A Cartoon Network-themed Powerpuff Girls scrambler glides and spins riders upside down, while a 5-D theatre experience takes guests through an animated Ben 10 battle scene.
The park aims to attract up to 30,000 visitors on peak days. Along with its 22 rides and attractions, the park offers visitors 25 retail outlets and 28 food and beverage outlets that are expected to contribute to nearly a quarter of the park’s overall revenue.
The Hulk strikes gold
At the high-end Marvel Vault store, an extravagant Hulk-inspired gold display that holds a pen with precious stones costs almost 115,000 dirhams (Rs. 21 lakh).
Despite thrills at every turn, British tourist Tariq Collins said the entry ticket cost of 300 dirhams (Rs. 5,485)) for adults and 250 dirhams (Rs. 4,548) for children was “a bit pricey”.
He said there were not as many attractions for his five-year-old daughter as he’d hoped there would be.
“Apart from that, great. Very nicely done,” he said, before adding that some of the rides were not working.
The park’s Chief Executive Officer Lennard Otto said this is not uncommon in the theme park industry.
“No theme park today, whether it’s Disney or Universal, has 100 percent upkeep time on their rides,” he said. “Rides will break. They’re the same as any other technology. The key for us to try and manage the experience after that.”
[Source:-The Hindu]
