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Sarner International to design and build new immersive water ride for Qetaifan Island North

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Qetaifan Island North water park

Sarner International, an award-winning design and audiovisual studio, will be designing a new immersive ride experience for Qetaifan Island North’s water park.

Sarner International is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a new design and build contract by Qetaifan Projects for an innovative and educational water ride at Qetaifan Island North water park in Qatar.

The groundbreaking water ride will tell the story of the transformation of Doha over the last century, travelling from Jurassic times into the distant future and from under the sea to up in the sky in the process.

The story of Doha

Guests will begin their journey in 1930 when oil was found in Qatar, where they will find out more about where oil comes from, how it is extracted and how it is used. Special effects such as 3D mapping, animatronics, projection, theatrical lighting, heat, vibration, drilling machines and fog screens will add an extra immersive layer to the experience.

To ensure that the ride is authentic when it comes to educating visitors about science and history, it is being designed with input from experts and curators from the world’s leading museums.

The experience begins and ends inside a fully-themed building, which is home to several immersive theatrical environments. In addition to this, the ride also takes guests outside the building at stages, as well as into a tall ride tower. These buildings are being designed in coordination with design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins.

Qetaifan Island North water park Sarner

Introducing visitors to the history of Qatar

Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Head of the Business Development Department at Qetaifan Projects, is pleased to be working with Sarner on the project, saying: “This cooperation comes as a continuation of the realization of the company’s vision to make Qetaifan Island North the first entertainment destination of its kind in Qatar.

“This matter is of great importance and we consider it a national duty due to the contribution it will add in the sectors of tourism, hospitality and entertainment, not only that, but in terms of competitive international standards that express the concerted efforts exerted in promoting Qatari tourism.

“There is no doubt that adding an edutainment ride introducing visitors to the history of Qatar would work to attract the largest number of tourists of different age groups, especially those interested in exploring different cultures. Of course, there will be regular school trips and more local partnerships with bodies and institutions interested in art and culture.

“This cooperation comes within a series of local and global partnerships that will prepare to host the 2022 World Cup and serve Qatar Vision 2030, especially since we at Qetaifan Projects are working to position Qetaifan Island North as a modern entertainment destination that provides a unique experience and actively contributes to providing sustainable solutions that serve tourism and hospitality.

“Safety and security standards are our top priority in designing and constructing the waterpark, and accordingly we have chosen the best companies in this field to work on implementing and managing the waterpark.”

An innovative project

The water park itself, along with its Icon tower that reached 80 metres high, will be managed and operated by Rixos International Hotels Group – the operator behind the Land of Legends Waterpark in Turkey. Rixos Group will also manage and operate the hotel and the Beach Club.

Ross Magri, Managing Director of Sarner International, says “Sarner has over 50 years of experience in both the theme park and museum markets so we are perfectly suited for this innovative project that combines the two, creating an immersive water ride that is not only fun but also educational.

“We are delighted to have been awarded this contract, working with some of the best teams in the world to deliver what will be a cutting-edge attraction that will stand the test of time.”

The water park covers an area of 137,000 square metres and is home to 36 water slides and rides. There are also 6 beaches and a hotel at the Qetaifan Island North attraction, which is part of Lusail City. The whole island measures around 1.3 million square metres and the project’s area on the island is approximately 830,000 square meters.

Sarner also worked on the new immersive Dark Walk at the newly refurbished Bodmin Jail attraction in Cornwall, UK, which will open this October.

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charlotte coates

Charlotte Coates

Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.

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