Why Dubai is fast becoming a tourists' haven. With numerous attractions and infrastructure projects underway, the emirate is on track to become the world's most visited city. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00Dubai aims to become the world's most visited city, attracting 20 million tourists by 2020.
00:15In order to achieve this goal, the Emirate has lined up major tourism projects which
00:19are set to be completed in the next few years.
00:22To give you a glimpse on the projects that are set to be opened soon, Gulf News visited
00:27the Dubai Tourism Pavilion during the recent Arabian Travel Market held at the Dubai International
00:32Convention and Exhibition Center.
00:35ATM is a yearly travel trade event in the Middle East.
00:38The show focused on Dubai's tourism vision for 2020, which the government announced last
00:44year.
00:45Under the vision, the Emirate expects to double visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to
00:5120 million by 2020.
00:53Dubai's first mega-themed entertainment destination, IMG Worlds of Adventure, is set to mark the
00:59opening of a new chapter in the UA's leisure industry.
01:02Once opened, the 1.5 million square feet project developed by the Ilyas and Mustafa Ghaledari
01:08Group will be the world's largest temperature-controlled indoor-themed entertainment destination, with
01:14a capacity to welcome in excess of 20,000 visitors a day.
01:18We will be a vast 1.5 million square feet, all indoors with the exception of one of our
01:23mega-launched coasters, which is the Velociraptor launch coaster, located in our Lost Valley
01:27Dinosaur Adventure Zone.
01:29Lost Valley Dinosaur Adventure Zone is trademarked to us.
01:32It immerses you into the prehistoric experience to live within a lost world with dinosaurs,
01:38with thrill rides, entertainment.
01:40This destination is something for everyone.
01:42Being that we live in Dubai in this hot climate and that we're fully indoors, you can enjoy
01:46it year-round.
01:47Another tourist attraction that is set to open soon is Dubai's first Butterfly Park.
01:52The Butterfly Park will house nearly 35,000 butterflies of all breeds and fancy colors.
01:58Built at the cost of 35 million dirhams in Miracle Garden, Dubai Land, the park has nine
02:03domes, spread across an area of 50,000 square feet.
02:07While Magic Alphatame Leisure & Entertainment is on an expansion binge and is planning to
02:11introduce a new brand this year in Dubai, MAF Leisure & Entertainment is a unit of MAF
02:16Ventures, part of the Dubai-based conglomerate MAF Holding.
02:20Some of its brands include Magic Planet, a family entertainment center, Ski Dubai, an
02:26indoor ski resort located at Mall of the Emirates, which attracted over one million visitors
02:31last year.
02:32iFly, an indoor skydiving tunnel and sky trail, a multifaceted obstacle course that is suspended
02:38along the ceiling of the Merdif City Center Mall.
02:41Based on our founder's vision, Mr. Magic Alphatame, we are looking to create great
02:46moments for everyone, every day.
02:49And as per the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in order to
02:54have a great Expo 2020 and to double the visitors in Dubai to reach 20 million.
03:01So as being part of Dubai and being part of the active companies within the leisure and
03:08entertainment, so we always have lots of ideas and lots of projects and we're always
03:12looking for a new concept on how to enhance the Dubai visitors experience.
03:19With all the major tourism developments in the Emirates, next year's edition of ATM is
03:24expected to have a bigger exhibition space for travel-related technology, cruise and
03:29medical tourism.
03:30Ayrish Idenbalieza for Gulf News.