Dubailand - Development

Development

The Dubailand project was officially announced on October 23, 2003. Dubailand will have an area of 278 km2 (107 sq mi) and include 45 "mega projects" and 200 sub projects. To date, there are currently 22 projects under development. Dubailand is divided into six zones (worlds): Attractions and Experience World, Sports and Outdoor World, Eco-Tourism World, Themed Leisure and Vacation World, Retail and Entertainment World, and Downtown. It will be twice the size of Walt Disney World Resort, and will be the largest collection of theme parks in the world; however, no theme park in Dubailand will surpass Disney's Animal Kingdom (located at Walt Disney World Resort) as the world's largest theme park. Private reaction towards the project has been positive and Dubai has exceeded the $20.9 billion private investment figure it expected on the entire project by collecting approximately $55 billion from the private sector for the first phase.

Dubailand is seen by its designers as a city and therefore like a city they expect it to continue to grow and develop beyond the four phase plan.

The Sahara Kingdom theme park, situated in the Attractions & Experience World, will cover 460,000 m2 (4,951,399 sq ft) and will combine high end virtual and physical theme park rides, attractions such as a state of the art gaming zone, IMAX theater, and integrated live and virtual entertainment shows, together with a retail zone, four hotels and residential accommodations. The theme of the development is traditional Arabian folklore and the tales of One Thousand and One Nights.

In 2006, planning permission was granted for the Great Dubai Wheel, a 185-metre tall (607 ft) giant Ferris wheel with 30 passenger capsules, to be built and managed by the Great Wheel Corporation. It was expected to open in 2009, at a cost of over AED 250 million. In January 2012 it was announced that the Great Dubai Wheel would not be built.

In 2008, most of the developments in Dubailand were put on hold and virtually all of the staff and workforce were fired due to 2007-2010 Financial crisis and as of late 2011 work has yet to resume.

On January 19, 2008, DreamWorks announced plans to build a Dreamworks park in Dubailand.

On March 4, 2008, Tatweer announced a strategic alliance with Six Flags to build the 5,000,000 sq ft (460,000 m2) Six Flags Dubailand theme park.

On May 1, 2008, Tatweer announced the launch of Freej Dubailand. Freej Dubailand will boast hotels totalling 2,600 keys, and feature retail, food and beverage outlets, as well as a spectrum of entertainment attractions.

On May 2, 2008, it was announced that the design and conceptual master plan for a Marvel Superheroes theme park had been finalized, the first of its kind. It will include 17 rides and attractions on a 4,500,000 sq ft (420,000 m2) development. It will also comprise nine retail outlets on an area of 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2). Over 40 food and beverage outlets, including carts merchandising light refreshments, will be developed over 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2).

On May 6, 2008, Tatweer announced a strategic alliance with Merlin Entertainments Group to build a Legoland park in Dubailand. The project will cost Dh912 million, occupy a total of 3,000,000 sq ft (278,709 m2), and will feature more than 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions geared towards families with children ages 2 to 12.

Currently Dubai Properties Group taken over Dubailand from Tatweer and the entire complex has not seen construction in years. United States companies, Six Flags, Universal Studios and DreamWorks have dropped out of their projects, losing interest in the site.