Introduction
Regional Position
Highlights & opportunities by sub-region
Middle East & North Africa Region
Introduction
The Middle East and North Africa is one of the most strategically ambitious attractions regions globally. Development is rarely delivered as isolated parks, but embedded within large-scale tourism, aviation and real estate strategies. What was once primarily a hospitality- and retail-led tourism market is increasingly diversifying into experience-led destination economies. Attractions, cultural institutions, water parks and entertainment districts are playing a growing role in shaping competitiveness and length of stay. Unlike the Americas’ concentration in a single dominant market or Europe’ s distributed maturity, MENA’ s growth is largely | infrastructure-backed and nationally coordinated. However, the region is not uniform. High-income Gulf markets support capital-intensive, premium developments, while North African markets require calibrated scale aligned to affordability and tourism capture.
Regional Position
MENA’ s trajectory is shaped by three structural characteristics:
• Mixed-use masterplanning tied to tourism and real estate
• Reliance on international visitation growth
• Climate conditions encouraging year-round indoor formats
Highlights & opportunities by sub-region
United Arab Emirates The UAE represents the most established attractions market in MENA. While most
Across the Gulf, leisure is positioned as part of broader destination building. In North Africa, attractions are typically linked to coastal tourism corridors or expanding urban centres. The opportunity profile therefore varies materially by sub-region.
large-scale parks opened in the 2010s, the country has developed a diversified portfolio serving regional and long-haul visitors. Dubai evolved from retail-driven tourism into a broader mix of theme parks, water parks, immersive attractions and global events. Abu Dhabi followed a complemen-
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