Merlin Entertainments CEO Scott O’Neil says there is “tremendous opportunity” in Saudi Arabia, and plans to expand the company’s portfolio in Dubai.
From Qiddiya to Neom, Saudi Arabia is creating a series of giga-projects and attractions as part of the Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) Vision 2030.
In an interview with The National at Legoland Dubai, O’Neil said: “We believe that there is tremendous opportunity there.”
He added, “You have a government that wants to build, that wants to transition from oil into entertainment and a tourist economy, they have the will, they have the means, there seems to be a lot of incredible attractions going on there – and it’s a reason that’s really interesting to us.
Merlin also has plans to expand in Dubai. On the emirate’s Legoland park, he said: “This is our highest-rated park in the world and that gives you a pretty good indication of what success might look like.
“This is a park we will invest more in. This region is still in the embryonic stages of an incredible run of growth and it’s nice to be at the forefront of it.”
Merlin wants to create entertainment clusters in the 10 most important cities in the world by 2030, O’Neil said. The company is surveying 20 cities including New York, Shanghai, Paris, Singapore, Amsterdam and Dubai.
Merlin to expand in Dubai
“[Dubai] is a city that does everything big, everything is grand – it’s the biggest, it’s the best, it’s the tallest, it’s the most shiny and that bodes very well for our business and bodes very well for tourists.
“This is a place you want to come to – it’s safe, it’s clean, it’s grand, I think there’s an attraction at every turn.”
Merlin, which operates more than 140 attractions, 23 hotels and six holiday villages in 25 countries, plans to invest “billions of dollars” over the next five years, O’Neil said.
In more news, Merlin is opening mainland Europe’s first standalone Peppa Pig Theme Park in 2024 in Günzburg, Germany.
