These two cities – about an hour’s drive from one another, and both on the Persian Gulf – are the the midst of a reimagining meant to elevate them as 'global cities' on par with New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Cape Town, and Hong Kong. The very fact that you’ve heard of Dubai and Abu Dhabi – and that they might conjure visions of art deco buildings, fountain shows in crystal lagoons, the world's tallest building, man-made islands, water slides, and yes, theme parks – shows that the UAE’s marketing plan is working. Disney’s two American resorts service a country with roughly 330 million people, whereas China’s population tops 1.4 billion – four times as many, and with a rapidly-evolving Middle Class looking for the kind of entertainment to fill their leisure time and take their expendable income that Americans first experienced in the ‘50s. Though Disney and Universal have made splashy entries into new Asian markets (with 21st century resorts in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Beijing), the answer there was obvious: population. The entertainment industry’s gravitation to the Middle East might be unexpected at first glance. World Abu Dhabi and highlight some of the incredible attractions in this 21st century park! The Middle East Movement Join us as we set the stage for Warner Bros. Today, we want to highlight one and the industry shifts that brought it to life. Across the world, brand new parks – many designed and built by the best in the business, rooted right here in America – are opening to brand new audiences. Like a sponge that can't hold even one more drop of water, many analysts see the theme park landscape of North America as 'full.' (For example, 2025's Epic Universe will be the first major, destination park in the country since 2001's California Adventure.)īut elsewhere, it's a very different story. For at least the last few decades, the American theme park market has left behind a 'growth' phase and settled into a 'maturing' phase.

It's not every day that we see a major, innovative, and immersive new theme park open in the United States.

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