Dubai: The world’s largest indoor theme park – IMG Worlds of Adventure – is all set to open in Dubai on August 15.
Speaking to XPRESS ahead of the launch, Lennard Otto, CEO, IMG Worlds of Adventure, said, “It will be the first global theme park to bring international brands Marvel and Cartoon Network, plus two proprietary IPS IMG Boulevard and Lost Valley - Dinosaur Adventure, together in the same place. It will also feature a unique array of adrenaline-pumping roller coasters, thrill rides and spine-tingling attractions, complimented by 28 F&B outlets and 25 retail outlets.”
Wholly owned and developed by the Ilyas & Mustafa Galadari Group, the park will be spread across 1.5 million square feet or an equivalent of 28 football fields on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road. It is expected to attract at least 30,000 visitors every day - or 4.5 million people in the first year itself.
Tickets to the park, costing Dh300 for adults and Dh250 for children, are already on sale on www.IMGworlds.com. Otto said with the countdown to the grand launch having begun, the park is in the final stages of preparation, testing and commissioning of the rides.
“Internally, we are adding the final touches to IMG Worlds of Adventure, so we are painting the floors, whilst externally we are completing the roads leading into the park.”
Four zones
He said the park will consist of four zones: Marvel, Cartoon Network, IMG Boulevard and Lost Valley Dinosaur Adventure.
“The 350,000 sq ft Marvel will offer experiences from Marvel Super Heroes, including ‘Avengers: Battle of Ultron’, a stereoscopic 3D multimedia treat.
He said the Cartoon Network zone, which spans 230,000 sq ft, will feature exclusive attractions including the first ever Ben 10 5D cinema, which will host up to 1,200 visitors an hour with a 10-minute 3D movie. Alongside the world’s largest Ben 10 retail store, the zone will incorporate Cartoon Network brands LazyTown, Adventure Time, The Powerpuff Girls and The Amazing World of Gumball.
Otto said, “The Lost Valley – Dinosaur Adventure zone has been developed uniquely for IMG Worlds of Adventure and will be home to over 69 state-of-the-art animatronic dinosaurs. The largest of the four zones, it spans a massive 700,000 sq ft, including the external coaster ‘The Velociraptor’, which propels guests to 100km/h in 2.5 seconds, will be the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in Dubai.”
As for the IMG Boulevard zone, it covers 200,000 sq ft and features a range of exciting attractions, including retail and dining selections, live entertainment and interactive experiences. “This includes the Haunted Hotel, an extreme fear experience, not for the faint hearted. Guests are forced to navigate through a maze of corridors and terrifying changing scenery as they try to escape what lies within,” said Otto.
From a design perspective, he said, “The vision of the owners was to offer a fully immersive experience, so that when you step into one of the zones, it’s like stepping into another world. Everything in that zone is themed, including the retail and F&B outlets which are an extension of the rides. For example, walking into the Marvel zone is like being in downtown New York.”
He said the design of the park has considered every aspect of a visitor’s journey. Every zone has a distinct theme and guests can expect a different theme park experience. “One of the main complaints about other theme parks is the queues, and so we designed the actual ride experience to begin when guests enter the queue. With the Ben 10 5D Hero Time Cinema, guests are invited to watch a movie clip while entering the attraction.”
Otto said, “We don’t want the adventure to end when guests complete a ride. So when they eat at a restaurant or shop at a retail outlet, the design continues. Every part of their day has been themed, whether it is visiting the Spice Valley or a restaurant decorated with a prehistoric theme including dinosaur skeletons in the Lost Valley, or hanging with the Avengers in Downtown Shawarma. We are offering a 360 degree experience, allowing guests to be immersed into each one of the four worlds we offer.”
