Dubai Holding Entertainment is preparing to introduce a water-focused park at Dubai Parks and Resorts, with details of the project expected in the coming months, according to Fernando Eiroa, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holding Entertainment.
Speaking at RISE Summit 2026, Eiroa revealed that the company was preparing to expand its entertainment portfolio with another park, hinting that water-based activities would form part of the development.
“We are also very soon about to open a new facility, a new park,” Eiroa said.
When pressed for details about the project, he said: “I will tell you it’s very complimentary, it’s specifically for the summer, and there’s a lot of water.”
Eiroa indicated that the project would complement the attractions at Dubai Parks and Resorts, with further details expected to be announced within a few months.
The announcement comes as Dubai Holding Entertainment continues to invest in its attractions despite the impact of the conflict and the closure of some parks during the summer.
Dubai Holding Entertainment maintains expansion plans despite conflict
Addressing the impact of the conflict on the company’s operations, Eiroa said some parks had closed while venues including Roxy Cinemas and Coca-Cola Arena remained operational. “We had many of the assets open,” he said, referring to the company’s entertainment venues.
He explained that the summer closures also provided an opportunity to undertake refurbishment and maintenance work that would otherwise have been difficult to carry out while attractions were receiving visitors.
“We took advantage of this and we closed during the summer,” he said, describing the period as “a lower season for us”. Eiroa said the company used the closures to introduce restaurants, refurbish attractions, undertake maintenance and carry out improvements across park buildings and facilities.
He confirmed that the parks had reopened the week before the summit and said the company had received feedback from visitors following the reopening. “We have reopened our parks,” he said, adding that the company had received feedback from customers.
Asked whether the conflict had affected Dubai Holding Entertainment’s expansion plans, Eiroa said the company remained committed to its strategy.
“We haven’t changed any of our plans. We keep growing and we think that we’ll be growing very, very fast,” he said. Eiroa also expressed confidence in Dubai’s recovery and the outlook for the tourism and entertainment sectors.
Riverland introduces 14 attractions, including go-karting and Lamborghini simulators
Eiroa pointed to the addition of 14 attractions and experiences at Riverland, within Dubai Parks and Resorts, as an example of the company’s investment in entertainment. The activities include go-karting, bowling, Lamborghini simulators and gaming experiences.
He said the company had introduced “14 new attractions and experiences”, citing go-karting, bowling and Lamborghini simulators among the additions.
Eiroa linked the expansion to the company’s approach of introducing activities that encourage customers to return to its destinations. The plans also include the water-focused park, which he said would complement the company’s offering at Dubai Parks and Resorts.
Global Village opens Season 31 as daily visitor numbers approach 50,000
Eiroa also discussed Global Village, which began its 31st season on October 14, 2026, the day of his appearance at RISE Summit.
Recently, Global Village had overtaken Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida in average daily attendance, attracting nearly 50,000 visitors a day. Responding to the attendance figure, Eiroa highlighted the difference in population between the UAE and the United States.
He described receiving “50,000 people a day” at an attraction in the UAE as an achievement, crediting the Global Village team and the destination’s connection with families across the country.
“Global Village, this is going to be the 31st season,” Eiroa said, explaining that the destination had become “part of most families in the country”. He noted that the attraction was not only associated with Dubai residents but also drew visitors from other emirates.
According to Eiroa, many families associate the reopening of Global Village with the arrival of winter, when they can return to the destination for entertainment, dining and attractions.
He said the company’s approach to maintaining visitor interest was centred on responding to customer expectations. “The secret of Global Village is exactly that, is to listen to our customers,” he said.
Eiroa added that the destination’s connection with society and families had helped sustain its appeal over successive seasons. “Every single season we have been able to improve and to offer something new to our customers,” he said, adding that Global Village continued to introduce changes across its pavilions, food and beverage outlets, attractions, performances and experiences.
“Every single season, we offer new things, new pavilions,” he said, also referring to “new attractions, new shows”.
Eiroa said visitors returning to Global Village this season would encounter an offering that differed from what was available one or two years earlier.
Halloween events and seasonal entertainment encourage repeat visits to Dubai
Discussing the role of entertainment in attracting repeat visitors, Eiroa said Dubai Holding Entertainment focused on introducing events and experiences that were available for limited periods.
“We do a lot of experiences and events that give a sense of urgency to our customers,” he said, citing Halloween as an example of how time-limited events encourage customers to visit an attraction during a particular period rather than postponing their visit.
“If you want to enjoy Halloween,” he said, visitors would need to attend during the event period because the experience would subsequently change. “In a month from now, we’ll have something else,” he added.
According to Eiroa, this approach encourages residents and tourists to return to attractions more frequently, as the experiences on offer change throughout the year.
He said Global Village followed the same approach, introducing pavilions, entertainment, dining and attractions with each season.
Dubai’s entertainment portfolio caters to residents and tourists
Eiroa also discussed the role of entertainment in Dubai’s development as a tourism destination, drawing comparisons with markets in the United States where theme parks and attractions contribute to visitor demand.
He said Dubai and the UAE had established themselves through hotels and visitor experiences, with entertainment becoming part of the tourism offering. “We have a very, very diversified portfolio,” he said.
He highlighted the range of attractions operated by Dubai Holding Entertainment, including Coca-Cola Arena, Global Village, theme parks and cinemas. “This diverse portfolio caters for everybody,” Eiroa said.
He explained that visitors travelling to Dubai could choose from a range of attractions during their stay, rather than relying on one form of entertainment.
“If they stay here for 10 days, every day they have a different experience,” he said. Eiroa linked the development of entertainment to growth in tourism and infrastructure investment across Dubai.
He also referred to plans for airport expansion, indicating that greater aviation capacity would help accommodate visitor growth. Discussing the company’s position in Dubai, he said: “We are very grateful to be here in this city and in this country.”
Technology changes theme park attractions and customer expectations
Eiroa said advances in technology had transformed how customers assessed entertainment experiences and how operators developed attractions.
He explained that visitors now had access to information about entertainment destinations worldwide, allowing them to compare attractions across different markets.
“Now you have instant information of any attraction in Singapore, Japan, in the UK, Europe, the US,” he said. “So people benchmark, people compare.”
According to Eiroa, this shift means that entertainment operators must respond to expectations influenced by attractions in different countries. He also highlighted the role of technology in developing theme park rides.
“If you see, in our theme park, roller coasters are faster and sometimes more aggressive than before,” he said.
Eiroa explained that developments in ride technology allowed operators to increase the intensity of attractions while maintaining safety standards. He also referred to video mapping and other technologies being introduced into entertainment experiences.
However, he said changes in customer behaviour extended beyond technology and ride development.
“Something that I have seen in the last few years is that entertainment and experiences are … more active entertainment, if you want, versus passive entertainment,” he said.
Eiroa explained that visitors increasingly wanted to participate in experiences rather than simply watch performances or use attractions. “We like them to sweat a little bit,” he said, referring to activities involving physical participation.
Real Madrid World reflects shift towards participation in entertainment
Eiroa cited Real Madrid World at Dubai Parks and Resorts as an example of the demand for entertainment that encourages visitors to participate.nHe described the destination as the world’s first theme park dedicated to football club Real Madrid.
The attraction offers football and basketball activities, allowing visitors to compete, test their abilities and participate in games. Eiroa said visitors could take part in activities that measured their performance, including how fast they could kick a football.
“So it is not a passive entertainment anymore. It’s an active entertainment,” he said, adding that the park created opportunities for interaction between families who had not previously met.
“We see a lot of families that they don’t know each other and they play football matches, right, against each other,” Eiroa said, noting visitors often became competitive during these activities.
The experience, he explained, demonstrated how entertainment operators were adapting their attractions to encourage participation and interaction between guests.
