Busch Gardens Goes to Dubai
Can't get enough of Busch Gardens but have your heart set on Dubai?
Your troubles are over. SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove are coming to Dubai - in 4 short years.
Worlds of Discovery will be built on the second of 3 manufactured islands (The Palm Ali) in the Emirate. Nakheel, the Dubai developer working with Orlando-based Busch Entertainment Corporation, will build and operate the parks.
"Dubai has become one of the world's leading tourist destinations, and a key part of the strategy has been attracting world-class entertainment brands to the emirate," said Nakheel chief executive Chris O'Donnell.
Construction of The Palm Jebel Ali took more than 300 million cubic yards of sand and 10 million tons of rock and extended the Dubai coastline 52 miles. Nakheel has already begun construction on an infrastructure that will support an expected 280,000 people.
"We have already concluded partnerships with major brands such as Trump, Cirque du Soleil, and Atlantis, and the partnership with BEC is a further example of Dubai's growth as a city of global prominence.
Worlds of Discovery in DubaiSeaWorld Dubai will mirror the 3 US locations - killer whales, dolphins and sea lions and marine-themed rides.
Discovery Cove in Dubai will be like the one in Orlando with a reservation-only admission system. Visitors will be able interact and swim with bottlenose dolphins, rays and exotic fish.
Busch Gardens will feature rides, attractions and entertainment.
Aquatica is SeaWorld's waterpark.
With skyscrapers sprouting out of the sand and theme parks cropping up along the manufactured coast, Dubai is shaping up to be the world's next Las Vegas - glitzy, ritzy and completely fake.
But fake is good if you're a theme park junkie.
Is Dubai on your travel radar? Are you a theme-park junkie?
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