The people of Palestine are promised their first theme park in the coming years. Paving the way for the proposed Hayat Canaan development on the West Bank will be a dining and entertainment district.
Inspired by his father Nasser’s flair for social entrepreneurship, Karmel Abufarha wants to build a theme park that will “connect the Palestinian people with their culture”. “Somewhere for them to make memories and have fun, right here in Palestine,” says Abufarha.
Currently, there are smaller amusement parks and family entertainment centres on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Local families also spend time in cafés and have picnics and barbecues in the mountains.
“But we don’t really have a theme park with immersive experiences,” says Abufarha. “Palestinians want a modern life. They have the internet, they see the movies. They crave fun, exciting things to do, but they have to leave [to the UAE and other places] to get it.”
Introducing Hayat Canaan
Formerly wheat fields, a 150,000-square-metre site has been secured north of Jenin on the northern tip of the West Bank. It also sits south of Nazareth, Israel.
The project’s name, Hayat Canaan, is taken from the Arabic word for life (Hayat) and the ancient civilisation of Canaan, which is referenced in the Bible.
Due to open in 2025, a $20 million CityWalk-style development will establish the brand and is already partly funded. It is hoped that this will whet the public’s appetite for an amusement park and secure the required $100 million investment for the next phase. Only then can a construction schedule be set.
“Our experience with the F&B, retail and redemption will allow us to test the market for the theme park, raise capital and build our team,” says Abufarha.
Initial plans for Hayat Canaan have been drawn up by Barcelona-based Entertainment Development. Feasibility studies predict around 1 million visitors a year for the dining and entertainment district, and half a million for the theme park. The former would attract repeat visits, and families are expected to visit the park typically once a year.
The population of Palestine is around 5 million. “Palestinians have big families, marry young and have a lot of kids,” says Abufarha. “A lot would be Israeli citizens, coming into Jenin to go shopping. It’s not going to be a park for teenagers.”
Nasser’s Abufarha’s story
Aged 58, Nasser Abufarha, Karmel’s father, has had an interesting life to date. He grew up in a farming family in Palestine, but was given the opportunity to study in Canada and the US.
After attaining a degree in computer science at Wayne State University in Detroit, he began working at the retailer Radio Shack. Later, Nasser would get a taste of the food and beverage business by running restaurants, as well as food concessions at festivals.
He later returned to education, doing a doctorate in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His PhD on violence in Palestine inspired him to write the book The Making of a Human Bomb. Nasser then set up the Palestine Fair Trade Association, doubling revenues for olive oil producers in his homeland.
For the past nine years, Karmel has been the marketing representative of the family’s Canaan Fair Trade brand, which sells olive oil and nut-based produce to retailers in the US and Europe.
“My father has always pushed to represent the Palestinian people’s strengths and not our struggles,” he says. “Who were we before the occupation? The olive is intuitive to our heritage.”
Theme park must pay its way
With Hayat Canaan, the Abufarha family wants to establish a destination for Palestinian families to eat, drink, meet and unwind. The dining and entertainment district will be themed, but is just the starting point. The theme park, when it follows, will be mostly outdoors.
The project must also pay its way. “We call it social entrepreneurship,” says Karmel. “Solving social problems through business, and businesses must be self-sufficient at the end of the day.”
