'Dubailand' aims to be Middle East Orlando

Sleepy01

Sleepy01

New Member
Original Poster
I found this story on Yahoo! this morning. I know it has been discussed before, but I could not find the other threads. It's not completely Disney related so please feel free to move or close if necessary.

I am not posting it to start a debate about the potential quality, attendance, whether or not you'd travel there and why etc. compared to Disney.

I posted it as an illustration of how the Disney Magic has inspired other creative people in different parts of the world. It seems like a very ambitious project.

'Dubai adds a huge Disney-like project in its quest to build a travel destination spot.'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070619/lf_afp/lifestyleuaetourismconstruction_070619042822
 
gotribe07

gotribe07

New Member
Sleepy01 said:
I found this story on Yahoo! this morning. I know it has been discussed before, but I could not find the other threads. It's not completely Disney related so please feel free to move or close if necessary.

I am not posting it to start a debate about the potential quality, attendance, whether or not you'd travel there and why etc. compared to Disney.

I posted it as an illustration of how the Disney Magic has inspired other creative people in different parts of the world. It seems like a very ambitious project.

'Dubai adds a huge Disney-like project in its quest to build a travel destination spot.'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070619/lf_afp/lifestyleuaetourismconstruction_070619042822
Click to expand...


Who on earth is going to want to travel all the way to Dubai for a vacation? :veryconfu

"Hey kids lets go to the desert for a vacation" .... "OK!!"
 
P

Philo

Well-Known Member
gotribe07 said:
Who on earth is going to want to travel all the way to Dubai for a vacation? :veryconfu

"Hey kids lets go to the desert for a vacation" .... "OK!!"
Click to expand...

Is it any different to going to a swampland for a vacation?

I kind of hope they give it a better name than dubailand but it does sound pretty interesting. I'm a bit confused by the picture that goes with the article, whats with the bike on the coaster track?
 
hcswingfield

hcswingfield

Active Member
gotribe07 said:
Who on earth is going to want to travel all the way to Dubai for a vacation? :veryconfu

"Hey kids lets go to the desert for a vacation" .... "OK!!"
Click to expand...

People who live on that side of the world, maybe? There's a lot more population in Asia, India and the Middle East than there is in North America.
 
netenyahoo

netenyahoo

New Member
It isn't for your average American. This is for rich people and for Europeans and others around the world. 99% (estimate only) of Americans will not travel to the Middle East for vacation.
 
Pumbas Nakasak

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
gotribe07 said:
Who on earth is going to want to travel all the way to Dubai for a vacation? :veryconfu

"Hey kids lets go to the desert for a vacation" .... "OK!!"
Click to expand...

People with a passport and a desire to experience the worlds fastest growing city/ destination. It already has some of the top resorts.
 
The Mom

The Mom

Moderator
Premium Member
People forget that it is resort/tourist area, so is as much of a fantasy land as WDW. No, women don't have to wear burquas and headscarves. Yes, if you're a tourist, you can get a drink. No, you aren't going to be harassed because you're from Europe, or even the US.

I personally will probably never visit, as my list of places to visit is larger than my bank account, but if our friend is transferred there long term (they still haven't offered him enough money) I might. His photos are incredible.
 
Krozar

Krozar

New Member
I would love to go to Dubai again. One of my friends is a friend of a Prince and he stays at Burj al-Arab for FREE.

It's turning into an amazing place. Oil is such a minuscule part of Dubai's economy now because of the development. The new downtown will be a destination in itself... already is IMO. And can't forget Dubai marina.

If you want to get rid of religious extremism... bring development and modernization to people's lives. Saudi Arabia has a lot of money but they are not doing a good job in doing this. The culture of Dubai has changed so drastically. Just a few years ago my friend could not date many local women or talk to them because of Muslim traditions. But now, many more can do things like dating or talk to men.

Dubai FTW.
 
J

Jose Eber

New Member
I'm personally very disappointed Disney is not doing any development in Dubai (like Universal Theme Parks or Sol Kerzner).

Is there any vision left at Disney?

In the last 10 years alone visitation has tripled over in Dubai (from roughly 10 to 30 million passengers at the airport).

(BTW MCO got about 35 million visitors).

I just love how ignorant some people are of other cultures. :hammer:
 
cmatt

cmatt

Active Member
Pumbas Nakasak said:
People with a passport and a desire to experience the worlds fastest growing city/ destination. It already has some of the top resorts.
Click to expand...

nuff said really :king:

i will be going to dubai pretty soon - may blag a 2 - 3 day stop over when i go to my mates wedding in Perth... :)

top up my tan so to speak... although it is excruitiatingly hot at times...

safe as houses so to speak - somewhat sickening that some people just stereotype...
 
jmani56

jmani56

Member
It sounds like a pretty ambitious project, I'm excited to see what they come up with. We know they have the money to back it up, so let's hope they get the right talent. Even if it rivals WDW in size and scale, the big challenge is getting talented and creative people to design attractions.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't be similar to WDW at all. I think we automatically assume that any type of theme park destination equals competition for Disney. This may be a totally different type of place, with a totally different market in mind.
 
epcotfan

epcotfan

Active Member
gotribe07 said:
Who on earth is going to want to travel all the way to Dubai for a vacation? :veryconfu

"Hey kids lets go to the desert for a vacation" .... "OK!!"
Click to expand...
\


My aunt and uncle live there. My uncle is one of the many Canadians who moved there to work as pilots for their commercial airline. Soon their airline will have direct flights from Toronto. If they are still living in the Emirates by the time is built, I might consider going.

I do agree with the other statements that this park will cater to those in South East Asia, Europe and other parts of the East.

However, If I was going to travel that far away my preference is for Tokyo Disneyland rather than going to the middle East.
 
O

oneguy

New Member
gotribe07 said:
Who on earth is going to want to travel all the way to Dubai for a vacation? :veryconfu

"Hey kids lets go to the desert for a vacation" .... "OK!!"
Click to expand...


There are 1.2 billion Chinese, 1 billion Indians, 500 million Europeans and Russians. All of them are much closer to UAE (just a few hours flight from London) than Orlando. And hot desert with warm beaches is a great place to visit for British and Russians in winter.
 
The Mom

The Mom

Moderator
Premium Member
I understand that many people have religious/cultural reasons for not visiting certain countries. I can respect this, and I think that most of us are mature enough to understand that Dubai, or any Arab nation, is not for everyone. There are many countries that I wouldn't want to visit because of my religion, race, nationality, or political views.

There have been posters who have given quite valid reasons both for and against visiting. I think people are objecting to the opinion that NO ONE from the west would enjoy a visit. We all have different comfort levels; if I thought I was hated and would be in physical danger, I wouldn't want to be there. If it were just a matter of having to accomodate to different cultural mores, such as dressing more modestly, not being allowed in certain buildings, etc I would have to think about it. So, there are places that I would definitely avoid; many are in the Middle East, but not all of them.

But it's also discouraging to see people dismiss an area without actually having any knowledge of it.
 

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