Theme parks rise in Dubai amid shifting sands of tourism
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Sweating and hopeful, the performers lined up once more and received instructions mirroring the aspirations of the soon-to-open massive amusement parks they hoped to join: dance three-eighths Bollywood with a stiff shot of hip hop and a touch of whimsy.
The park, planned to be over 25 square kilometers (9.5 square miles), sits southwest of downtown Dubai in the wind-swept deserts off the main highway linking it to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Some 5,000 palm trees and 1.2 million shrubs will be planted alongside air-conditioned queues to battle Dubai's summertime heat, when the temperature hovers above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) with high humidity.
Investors hope to gain from the growing number of tourists visiting Dubai, home to the long-haul airline Emirates, the world's tallest building, luxury malls and other attractions.
The plunge in oil prices has affected high-end shopping in Dubai, said Philip Shepherd, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Middle East who has done feasibility studies on the park.
Dubailand was to sprawl over some 260 square kilometers (100 square miles) of desert and include parks like Legoland, Universal Studios and Six Flags, as well as other attractions.
A livelier scene awaits at Dubai Parks & Resorts, where dancers and singers have been recruited from across the globe to appear as costumed characters, rappers and acrobatic trampoline artists.