Dubai: ANC Holdings is partnering with Amusement Whitewater (AWW) to capture a significant share of the leisure and entertainment market in the GCC, with $10 billion (Dh36.7 billion) of new projects coming over the next five years.
AWW will break new ground in theme parks across the GCC in coming years with their new partners ANC Holdings and Abu Dhabi-based Flag Holdings.
"We'd like to take AWW to Oman, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, anywhere in the GCC where we can build and create parks," said Tayyeb Baqer, chairman of ANC Holdings.
While there are many well-known themed venues, including water parks, in Dubai, such as Atlantis, Wild Wadi and Dubailand, there is still room for more.
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The value of the entertainment and leisure industry in the GCC is around $30 billion, but this is a figure that changes "day by day" due to new projects being launched and others suffering delays, explained Duarte Marques, chief executive officer of AWW.
The partnership of the companies will mean that they can offer clients an all-in-one package, from design to construction.
"Atlantis is a monstrous project, but future projects in this part of the world will be even bigger. They will have to, to be competitive. Tourists come to a place for something different so they don't get bored, so we need to update constantly."
While it may appear that Dubai is spilling over with leisure activities, the general GCC region is a relatively blank canvas in terms of leisure and entertainment design and construction.
On whether there is the danger of being construed as too commercial-minded in a region historically rich in culture, he said: "Yes, I think people are a bit concerned about that. A lot of people are looking at creating an environment and theme parks that are culturally sensitive to make the impact a little softer...It does help to make theme parks and water parks more sensitive to local people as it shows you've considered and respected their cultural heritage," Marques said.
ANC Holdings has 23 companies across seven industry sectors, including construction, trading, education and foodstuffs.
AWW played a significant part in the theming of Madinat Jumeirah, Atlantis, Lost Chambers, the alpine theme of Ski Dubai, Ibn Battuta and Al Ain zoo.