Jumeirah’s Wild Wadi in Dubai was the world’s fastest-growing water park in 2011, according to the new Global Attractions Attendance Report from Themed Entertainment Association.
Overall, the water park was named as the 13th most attended water park in the world with 890,000 visitors, behind Aquaventure at Atlantis The Palm Dubai at number eight with 1.2 million visitors.
These were the only two parks in the Middle East to make it onto the world’s top 20 water parks 2011 ranking, Hotelier Middle East reported on Monday.
Wild Wadi was also ranked as third fastest growing of all of the water parks and theme parks listed, which included separate top 20 lists for Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
This was behind Changzhoud Dinosaur Park in China, which grew 52.2 percent to 3.5 million visitors, and Universal Studios Singapore, which grew 70.6 percent but did not fully open until May 2011.
John Robinett, senior vice president of economics at AECOM, which carried out the research, said: “The high growth operators focused on a three-fold strategy of park acquisition, park expansions, and new park development, which expanded their market share in what were, in many cases, modest growth markets”.
In 2011, Wild Wadi Waterpark opened two new rides – Burj Surj and Tantrum Alley.
The new $165m Yas Water Park, one of the key attractions on Abu Dhabi’s $40bn Yas Island, is slated to open in the fourth quarter of 2012.
The water park will have an Emirati theme and will follow the adventures of a young Emirati girl in search for an exquisite pearl.
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