Dubai Parks and Resorts received nearly 2.3 million visitors in its first full year open and its owner has announced a further restructuring of its management team.
DXB Entertainments, owner of Dubai Parks and Resorts, opened the complex in 2016 on a phased basis. Visitors gained access to the final rides and attractions in the fourth quarter of 2017, generating record attendance.
December 2017 delivered the park’s highest daily visitation to date, with an average of over 20,000 visits in the last 10 days and peak daily visits approaching 27,000, surpassing the previous daily record achieved during the DPR Big Day Out in September 2017.
Mohamed Almulla, CEO of DXB Entertainments, said: “During 2017 we recorded close to 2.3 million visits, with the fourth quarter delivering our highest visitation to date, a clear sign of progress against our strategic plan and a reflection of the new pricing and marketing strategy implemented in September last year.
“Our key visitation periods will continue to be the cooler months of the first and fourth quarters of each year and therefore we remain optimistic that the positive trends in final months of 2017 will continue into the first quarter of 2018.”
Operational restructure
DXB Entertainments also announced the completion of an operational restructure with its theme park division combining with its retail and hospitality division. As part of the change, Ahmad Hussain, previously general manager of theme parks, has been appointed deputy CEO and will assist with managing the day-to-day activities of the company.
Ahmed AlRayyes, who was previously the general manager of retail and hospitality, was appointed chief commercial officer.
The merging of the divisions comes only six months after they were created. In August last year, DXB announced it was splitting its business into three business units, theme parks, retail and hospitality, and marketing.
The August reorganisation came in response to significant losses. For the first six months of 2017, the company recorded losses of Dhs247m ($67.2m). In September, the company secured a Dhs245m ($66.7m) loan from its majority shareholder, Meraas, to cover operational expenses and debt repayments.
Almulla said: “The company restructuring and transition from project delivery to an operational, consumer-centric company is now substantially complete and as we move forward into 2018 further operational synergies and the continued delivery of a destination wide, world-class consumer experience remain our key priorities.”
Dubai Parks and Resorts is a 2.3 million sq m family entertainment destination comprising three theme parks – Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and Legoland Dubai – as well as the region’s first Legoland Water Park. The parks are linked by Riverland Dubai, a dining, entertainment and retail district featuring the Lapita Hotel. Six Flags Dubai will be the destination’s fourth theme park opening in late 2019.
