Almost 2.8 million visitors to Dubai Parks and Resorts during 2018
Lapita™ Hotel occupancy rose to 60% compared to 35% last year
DXB Entertainments PJSC (DFM:DXBE) today announced that Dubai Parks and Resorts, the region’s largest integrated theme park destination, attracted almost 2.8 million visits during 2018, an increase of 22% compared to last year. Growth was driven by the successful integration of the annual pass program, increased occupancy and therefore visitation from the Lapita™ Hotel and increased footfall from international tourists.
In Q4 2018, Dubai Parks and Resorts recorded over 819 thousand visits, compared to 796 thousand in the same period last year. The last quarter of the year benefitted from winter seasonality, with Halloween, UAE’s 47th anniversary, and the winter school break and holidays boosting visitor numbers. During the quarter, Dubai Parks and Resorts treated visitors to special shows and promotions to celebrate the winter holidays. The Lapita™ Hotel average occupancy rose to 60% in 2018, showing significant improvement compared to 35% occupancy reported last year with occupancy peaking close to 100% during certain days in December and an average 63% in Q4.
Mohamed Almulla, CEO and Managing Director, DXB Entertainments, said “We are pleased to announce solid growth in visitor numbers during 2018, as Dubai Parks and Resorts establishes itself as the leading leisure and entertainment destination for the region.”
“2018 delivered a 22% increase in visits compared to last year with 40% of overall footfall from international tourists, demonstrating that our strategic partnerships with Emirates Airlines, RTA and Dubai Airport, as well as China’s Union Pay, are showing good results. Lapita Hotel average occupancy has seen significant growth this year reaching 60%, compared to 35% last year, positioning itself as an attractive and unique family holiday resort in the UAE and the region.”
“Looking ahead to 2019, our priority is to continue increasing footfall from international tourists, which is a key growth driver for the destination, while also maintaining the solid base of local and regional visitors. I am excited to start the new year on a strong foot and on behalf of the team, we all look forward to continue on this growth trajectory during 2019 and beyond.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Marwa Gouda, Head of Investor Relations, DXB Entertainments PJSC Abdulrahman Alsuwaidi, Investor Relations Officer, DXB Entertainments PJSC +97148200820 IR@dxbentertainments.com
Jon Earl, Managing Director, FTI Consulting +97144372104 jon.earl@fticonsulting.com
Anca Cighi, Director, FTI Consulting +97144372111 anca.cighi@fticonsulting.com
DXB Entertainments PJSC
DXB Entertainments PJSC (previously Dubai Parks and Resorts PJSC) is a Dubai-based operator of leisure and entertainment destinations and experiences. The Company is traded on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) under the trading symbol DXBE. We bring together a diverse portfolio of world-class brands to offer entertainment in the areas of theme parks, family entertainment centres and retail and hospitality.
DXB Entertainments is the owner of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the region’s largest integrated theme park destination, with five Theme Parks (Six Flags Dubai under development), two Hotels (LEGOLAND® Hotel under development), and one retail and dining facility all spread over 30.6 million sq.ft of land, with an estimated AED 13.2 billion in development costs.
DXB Entertainments also manages six Dubai-based mid-way attractions in addition to a chain of cinemas, all owned by Meraas.
With a diverse portfolio of 16 leisure and entertainment assets, DXB Entertainments is the largest leisure and entertainment company in the region.
For more information, go to: www.dxbentertainments.com
