Abu Dhabi to open $1bn Warner Bros theme park in 2018

19 April 2016

Construction is already under way on the project which will include Warner Bros-branded hotel

Local master developer Miral plans to open the $1bn Warner Bros theme park on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island by 2018.

Construction is already under way on the first phase of the park and the rides are in the production process, Mohamed al-Mubarak, chairman of Miral, told a press conference, without saying how the company plans to finance the construction. Upon completion, the project will include a Warner Bros-branded hotel, the first of its kind in the world, he added.

Miral fully owns the development, which will create 1,000 jobs, while Warner Bros has 100 per cent ownership of intellectual property rights, he told reporters.

Located alongside Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld, the new tourism attraction will help Yas Island take its annual visitors tally from 25 million in 2015 to 30 million in 2018. The developer has already awarded design, construction and rides contracts, and expects the theme park to open on schedule.

The local/Belgian Six Construct Abu Dhabi was awarded the construction contract for the theme park. The project involves building indoor and outdoor areas for 19 themed rides. The indoor rides will be housed in a large steel-frame structure. The project manager is US-based Louis Berger, MEED reported in May 2015.

The expansion is part of the ongoing development on Yas Island and Abu Dhabi’s plans to further develop its position as a regional tourism destination.

”Miral is central to this development with a number of significant and exciting projects in the pipeline,’’ Al-Mubarak said without giving further details.

Abu Dhabi’s partnership with Warner Bros opens up the prospects of further developments on Yas Island, Miral’s chief executive Mohamed Abdullah al-Zaabi told the press conference.

Warner Bros Abu Dhabi will be one of the biggest entertainment projects in the region and will strengthen Yas Island’s position as a global tourism destination. “With attractions like Yas Circuit, Ferrari World, Yas Mall, Yas Waterworld and its seven hotels, it is difficult to find another such destination,’’ Al-Zaabi said. Read more.

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