The UAE is forecast to make up 90 per cent of the leisure tourism market in the Middle East by 2020, according to research by Team Leisure ahead of The Leisure Show Dubai 2016.

Phil Taylor, director at Team Leisure, said: "The UAE is just about to take a huge step on to the world leisure stage with some 10 to 15 major leisure attractions due to open in 2016 and many more in the pipeline. This is the next big step in the UAE's tourism strategy and the single biggest driver of growth in the hotel market for the next five years."

In 2016 alone, four major new theme parks are anticipated to open in the UAE: IMG Worlds of Adventure and Motion Gate, Bollywood and Legoland at Dubai Parks and Resorts, all in Dubai, alongside the Louvre Abu Dhabi, safari parks in both Dubai and Al Ain, and an exciting range of other leisure projects.

Internationally recognised events such as the Dubai Expo 2020 and Fifa World Cup in Qatar in 2022 will further boost the tourism sector in the region. This growth, correlated to the rise of theme parks and retail visits, will renew the enthusiasm in the amusement and themepark industry in the region. Theme parks in the UAE have the potential to see over 18 million visits by 2021 as per reports.

Taylor noted: "The Gold Coast in Australia, Singapore, and Orlando in Florida are all successful leisure and tourism stories that are 50 years or more in the making. Yet the stories are quite varied, as is the nature of their success. The individual destinations offer lessons the UAE can benefit from and allow us to evaluate the chances of success of the UAE's leisure strategy."

"If the UAE can achieve the same quality and success with its leisure attractions that define all of the tourism initiatives that have got it to where it is today, then there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it can succeed in the next major step in its tourism strategy. After all, the UAE tourism story is at least 20 years old already, and it has delivered steady and impressive growth to date," Taylor added.

"The UAE is well prepared to be crowned as a fun destination in the Mena region with commercial establishments and state-of-the-art-infrastructure. The country has metamorphosed itself into a truly global hub for tourism over the years, with visitors not only from the Mena region but worldwide. Tourists are attracted to the country's state-of-the-art retail and hospitality sector," said Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, chairman of International Expo Consults.

Team Leisure will host a presentation titled 'UAE theme park tourism: success factor insights from Gold Coast, Singapore, Orlando' on day two of the fourth annual Vision Conference, part of The Leisure Show and co-located with The Hotel Show in Dubai. The upcoming Leisure Show is the only supply, knowledge (The Fit Hub) and networking event in the Middle East and Africa dedicated to its growing leisure industry. -