The theme park industry continues to perform well, despite the woes that have hit the global economy since 2008. In fact, there are dozens of new theme parks under construction (or soon to be) all over the world, including new parks from the likes of Disney, Universal and Six Flags. Although many of them are in the growing Asian market, there are also plans for new parks in Europe and the USA.
Every month, Theme Park Tourist rounds-up the new theme parks that are in the pipeline for locations all over the world. As well as a description of what’s in store at each park, we also look at progress on funding and construction.
For globe-trotting theme park fans, there’ll be a whole host of new destinations to travel to by 2019. Take a look at what could be in store, and let us know which new theme parks you are most excited about in the comments section below!
22. Grand Texas (New Caney, Texas, USA)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2016
The Grand Texas theme park will be just one element of a 610-acre sports and entertainment district, which will incorporate the 150-acre theme park, a 40-acre water park, an 83-acre sports complex, an RV park with 144 lots, 240 hotel rooms, a 43-acre auto racing area and 450,000 square feet of retail and dining.
Located near the intersection of Highway 242 and Highway 59, the resort hopes to draw 1.2 million visitors every year. It is set to focus on the history of Texas, with the theme park itself hosting roller coasters and off-the-shelf midway attractions, and will initially span 71 acres before expanding to the full 150 acres further down the line.
The latest: The Big Rivers Water Park is set to begin construction in September 2014 ahead of a June 2015 opening date. The sports complex should open earlier than that, in March 2014, alongside the RV park. The theme park itself is not expected to open until 2016.
21. Twentieth Century Fox World (Genting, Malaysia)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2016
Located at Resorts World Genting in Malaysia, Twentieth Century Fox World will boast 25 rides and attractions based on Fox movies such as Alien vs. Predator, Ice Age, Night at the Museum, Planet of the Apes and Rio. It will be spread across 25 acres, making it a very compact park, with a modest budget of $300 million.
For comparison, Universal Studio Singapore at sister resort Resorts World Sentosa is believed to have cost more than $1 billion to construct, and covers 49 acres.
Here’s a piece of artwork for an Ice Age-themed roller coaster, which looks it may have been inspired by Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds.
The latest: Twentieth Century Fox World will replace the former Genting Highlands theme park, which is currently in the process of being completely flattened (you can see some shots of this over at ThemeParkX). 20th Century Fox’s Greg Lombardo has confirmed that, in fact, the site will not just be levelled, but there will also be considerable digging to enable large sections of the proposed dark rides to be housed underground.
20. Marvel Experience (various locations, USA)
Status: Planning phase
Opening in: Late 2014
We’re still waiting for Disney to announce its first big Marvel theme park attraction in the US after acquiring the comic book firm in 2009, although a Marvel-based land is on its way to Hong Kong Disneyland. But Los Angeles-based Hero Ventures is planning to bring a travelling experience (which – at a stretch – we can just about call a roaming theme park) dubbed the Marvel Experience to the US in late 2014.
Located inside the 80,000-square-foot, six-story-high “Mobile Command Center” (similar to that seen in Thor) will be a 4-D simulator ride, several 3-D animated short films, virtual reality and holographic simulators and – of course – a bunch of retail stores. The total cost is estimated at $30 million.
The latest: It looks as though things may be behind schedule on the Marvel Experience, which was initially touted as touring “throughout 2014” and currently merely listed as appearing “later this year”.
We do know that the Marvel Experience has teamed up with attraction director Jerry Rees and visual effects experts Rhythm & Hues & Prana and Lexington Design & Fabrication on the project. The tour is promised to include more than 20 Marvel characters, as well as boasting the world’s first traveling 360-degree stereoscopic 3-D dome theatre.
We don’t have any tour dates yet for the Marvel Experience, so in the meantime we’ll have to make do with the model above!
19. Paramount Park (Murcia, Spain)
Status: Planning phase
Opening in: 2017/2018
Plans for a new Paramount-branded theme park in Spain have been mooted for several years, but it still appears to be stuck in development hell. If the work really does go ahead this time, then the park will be only one element of a massive resort boasting no fewer than seven hotels, a “lifestyle” centre, a convention centre, an exhibition hall, condos, a casino and a mall.
Paramount Park will be made up of several themed lands, each hosting attractions based on movie and television franchises. The first of these will be Paseo Paramount, a larger-than-life avenue of shops and restaurants. It will empty into a “hub” on the edge of a lagoon. Adventure City will sit to the left of the hub, with Plaza Futura on the right (clearly, “inspired” by Disneyland’s Adventureland and Tomorrowland).
Adventure City will not, in fact, be set in a jungle a la Disney. Instead, it will be anchored by a ride based on Mission: Impossible, based on the same technology as Universal’s Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
The park’s equivalent of Frontierland will be Rango’s West, based on the 2011 animation by Gore Verbinski, which starred Johnny Depp as a pet chameleon lost in the Mojave Desert. This will be anchored by a family mine train roller coaster named Spirit of the West, similar in style to Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain.
Plaza Futura, meanwhile, will be primarily themed around Star Trek. It will host a Star Tours-style simulator ride, as well as a 100-foot-tall outdoor roller coaster dubbed “Warp Speed Coaster”. It will also host a War of the Worlds themed restaurant.
You can find out more about Paramount Park in this original write-up of the plans.
The latest: After the announcement of the detailed plans early this year, we’re still waiting for confirmation that funding is in place and construction of the resort can go ahead. There’s the usual speculation that the project is dead in the water, but there’s been no announcements of the project’s death, either. Watch this space.
18. Universal Studios Beijing (Beijing, China)
Status: In negotiations
Opening in: 2018
Universal has seen a number of theme park projects collapse or stall in recent years – Universal Studios Dubailand, Universal Studios Korea and Universal Studios Moscow are all locked in development hell. Perhaps the most promising project is Universal Studios Beijing, which would become the company’s third Asian park after Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore if it goes ahead.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Beijing park would cost around $2 billion and would be built in collaboration with a local state tourism company. Construction is said to be due to start in late 2014, although we’ve heard such rumors before. The Beijing Tourism Group will provide the land, while Universal will design the park.
The latest: Things are looking a little muddled on this particular project. While photos posted on the ThemeParkX forum suggest that work may already have begun to clear a site, Universal Parks & Resorts Chairman Tom Williams was quoted by Nikkei as saying that there are “no plans to build a theme park in China at the moment”.
17. IMG Worlds of Adventure (Dubai)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2014/2015
The Marvel Experience won’t be the only Marvel theme park to open in 2014 without the involvement of Disney’s Imagineers. Back in 2012, the Disney-owned firm signed a deal with Dubai’s IMG Group to open a 350,000-square-feet indoor attraction containing retail outlets, restaurants and “interactive entertainment experiences”.
Marvel will only be represented in one of the lands at IMG Worlds of Adventure. The other three areas will be Lost Valley-Dinosaur Adventure, IMG Boulevard and the child-friendly Cartoon Network (based on another set of licenses properties).
The latest: The park’s official website is up-and-running, albeit in an under-construction state (much like the park itself). Although work is well underway, we think that the mooted 2014 opening date is a little ambitious. 2015 seems more likely, but it could be even later.
16. Red Sea Astrarium (Aqaba, Jordan)
Status: In planning
Opening in: 2017
Though it is often referred to as the “Star Trek theme park”, The Red Sea Astrarium will actually consist of a combination of dining, retail, nighttime entertainment venues, shows and rides. The headline attraction, though, will indeed be the Star Trek Experience. The whole shebang will be located on the shores of the Red Sea, hence the name.
Among the attractions promised for the resort are a “time-travel flight simulator” to the Wonders of the World, a huge fountain show, a show in a 3-D dome, a themed dining show featuring stage magic and illusion, a 600-seat theater and the Star Trek attraction. This is set to feature a “space-flight adventure”, and will be developed in conjunction with Paramount Recreation.
The latest: This project had all the appearances of being dead in the water until a recent interview with Paramount’s Executive Vice President of Licensing, Mike Bartok, appeared on industry website Blooloop. In the interview, Bartok stated that Paramount is “fairly far along” in completing a video production for the Red Sea Astrarium, working with Lost production company Bad Robot. Bartok also said that the film will be used in the “first ever attraction ever made to be 4D with actual freefall mechanisms in there”.
15. Six Flags Dubai (Jebel Ali, Dubai)
Status: In planning
Opening in: 2017
Six Flags famously announced a spectacular-looking park for the Dubailand development back in 2008. However, those plans went into meltdown along with the global financial situation later that year.
Now, however, the firm has signed a deal with Meraas Leisure and Entertainment to revive hopes of a Six Flags park in Dubai. It is due to open in 2017 – but it’s possible (likely, even) that it won’t be as spectacular as the concept art released for the original park.
The latest: There have been no updates on Six Flags Dubai for a few months, but Six Flags’ partner Meraas is definitely moving ahead with the construction of Legoland Dubai (due to open in 2016), which shows its commitment to developing theme parks in the region.
14. Twentieth Century Fox World Korea
Status: In planning
Opening in: 2018
With work on the Malaysian park underway, Twentieth Century Fox has wasted no time in moving forward with plans to build a second park in Korea. The proposed park would cover a relatively slight 75 acres, and Fox has signed a memorandum of understanding with Australian partner Village Roadshow and the governor of the Korean province of Gyeongsangnam-do.
The park will be just one element of the 700-acre resort and luxury development dubbed the Ungdong Entertainment Complex, and is likely to feature a similar line-up to the Malaysian park. However, no attraction announcements have been made yet and the park appears to be at an early stage of developments.
13. London Paramount Entertainment Resort
Status: In planning
Opening in: 2019
Originally announced back in September 2012, a proposed Paramount-themed park is still being pushed for the Thames Estuary near London. With an estimated price tag of £2 billion, the project faces a considerable number of hurdles before it can become a reality.
Dubbed London Paramount Entertainment Resort, the development is set to include a theme park, a water park, sporting facilities, an “entertainment street” and around 5,000 hotel rooms. Ebbsfleet International station could be linked to the resort via a monorail system.
The latest: The project’s backers, London Resort Company Holdings, have been vocal recently, claiming that construction could get underway in the autumn of 2016 ahead of a summer 2019 opening day. An informal phase of public consultation has begun, and the company has been granted special government status to bypass local planning rules.
More details are expected to be revealed in October 2014, when the formal stage of the public consultation begins. The project’s leader, Tony Sefton, was quoted as saying “The key message is ‘it’s coming’. It’s happening now.”
12. Adventure Island (Doha, Qatar)
Status: In planning
Opening in: 2017
According to a report on GulfBusiness.com, US firm International Theme Park Services is working on a $300 million indoor theme park as part of the Doha Oasis Mall project. The park is said to cover a mere 7 acres, hosting the world’s first reverse launch roller coaster (dubbed Dragonfire), a Soarin’-style “flying” theatre attraction, a 40 foot tall gorilla and a sky tram.
Premier Rides are said to be behind the groundbreaking Dragonfire, which will incorporates magnetic launches, high-speed switches and multi-directional vehicle movements.
11. Robot Land (Incheon, Korea)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2016
Originally due to open in 2013, Robot Land has been beset by delays. Costing a huge $700 million to construct, it will show off the best of South Korea’s robotics industry. Famous characters from movies such as The Matrix, I-Robot and Minority Report are set to feature in some of its rides and shows, but the real highlights will be the educational exhibits…including an aquarium housing robot fish, and an arena for boxing robots.
Located about 30 kilometres away from Seoul and just 15 minutes form Incheon airport, Robot Land will sprawl across 387,505 square meters and will also boast a water park.
The latest: The most recent reports suggest a 2016 opening window for Robot Land. Hopes of meeting this date have been boosted by a major investment of nearly $1 billion from Chinese partners, according to the Korea Times.
10. Shahre Ghese (Tehran, Iran)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2015
The first ever theme park in Iran is due to open in 2015. Shahre Ghese (Story City) has been designed by Canada’s Forrec, and its backers claim that it will include rides supplied by major manufacturers includuing Intamin, Mack Rides and Zamperla – all based in Europe.
We’ll admit to being a little skeptical about this one, particularly the potential ride suppliers. We’ll have to wait and see whether those behind the project can really pull it off – and can really import the technology required.
The latest: Unsurprisingly given its location, media reports on the construction of Shahre Ghese have been pretty few and far between.
However, recently-posted images (including the one above) do seem to suggest that construction work is well underway, although 2015 looks ambitious for an opening window.
9. Sochi Park (Sochi, Russia)
Status: NOW OPEN!
Sochi Park was due to open in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but failed to make that deadline. Some areas did welcome guests during the Games, but the major roller coasters were not among them.
The latest: The remainder of the park finally opened in July 2014, so this will be Sochi Park’s last appearance in this list. Among the headline rides is The Dragon Zmey Gorynych, a 124-feet-tall Mack launch coaster.
8. Legoland Dubai (Jebel Ali, Dubai)
Status: In planning
Opening in: 2016
The Merlin Entertainments Group, which owns and operates the various Legoland theme parks around the world, continues its race to catch up with Disney as the largest attractions operator in the world. Like Six Flags, it announced a park for the Dubailand development, but that fell through after the 2008 financial crisis.
Determined to continue its aggressive international expansion, Merlin was one of the first to sign up once again with the newly-revived project in Jebal Ali that is being developed by Meraas Leisure and Entertainment. Expect the usual selection of rides aimed at children aged 2-12, including the inevitable clones of Driving School and Miniland.
The latest: Merlin and Meraas both seem confident of hitting the proposed 2016 opening date, and construction work is underway.
7. Ferrari Land (PortAventura Resort, Salou, Spain)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2016
First opened in 1995 by a consortium involving the Tussauds Group, Anheuser-Busch and Universal, PortAventura was sold to the Italian private equity group Investindustrial in November 2012. The group clearly has big plans for the resort (already one of Europe’s leading tourist attractions), and has struck a deal to bring the world’s second Ferrari World theme park to Salou.
While it will be modelled closely on Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the Spanish version is set to be on a smaller scale and won’t be hosted entirely indoors like its predecessor. The budget is a relatively meagre €100 million, and there’s no word on yet on whether this will be a full-blown second gate or simply an additional land within the existing PortAventura theme park when it opens in 2016.
What we do know is that the area will cover 75,000 square meters, and will consist of new rides, a 250-room luxury hotel, restaurants and shops. Ferrari promises that it will be “an opportunity for the whole family to experience and discover the world of Ferrari”. The headline attraction will become Europe’s fastest accelerator coaster, taking the crown from the 80 miles per hour Stealth at Thorpe Park in the UK.
The latest: It appears that Ferrari Land (as it’s now being dubbed) will, in fact, be a second theme park in its own right, according to PortAventura’s official website. The resort still lists a 2016 opening date for its new addition.
6. Romon World (Yinzhou, China)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2014
China’s latest new theme park, Romon World, is expected to open in late 2014 after several years of delays. It is claimed that the park will be similar in style to South Korea’s Lotte World, which borrowed a number of ideas from Disney but has become very successful in its own right.
One of the park’s headline rides will be Legendary Dragon, a Premier Rides launched roller coaster. Other suggested attractions include an indoor Intamin coaster, an indoor shopping mall and an outdoor “island” of attractions.
The latest: Recent construction images posted to Vertical Horizons suggest that, while work on the outside areas of the park is nearly complete, the indoor area still has some way to go. It could be that the park’s opening slips into 2015, if these pictures are anything to go by.
5. Cinecittà World (Rome, Italy)
Status: NOW OPEN!
Mighty Rome, once the heart of a sprawling empire, will welcome a brand new theme park in 2014. Originally scheduled to open in 2011, Cinecittà World will be like an Italian version of Universal Studios. It will feature rides and shows inspired by Cinecittà Studios movies and television shows, designed by Oscar-winning art director Dante Ferretti. In total, Cinecittà World will include 16 indoor kids’ rides, three thrill rides and 19 family attractions. Alongside these will sit seven self-service restaurants, 11 coffee bars, and entertainment arena and 57 snack and merchandise kiosks.
A second phase will add “The Village”, hosting shops, restaurants and movie threatres. Phases three and four are set to add a second theme park and Cinecittà Nature, a 170-acre “natural environment” that will be used as a backlot for movie production but will also be accessible to the public.
One of the headline rides will be a clone of Thorpe Park’s 10-inversion roller coaster Colossus, complete with some impressive spaceship theming. The park will also be home to the world’s longest Mack Super Splash ride, at more than 550 metres. The ride will feature an entrance modelled on the Roman architecture seen in Ben Hur.
Another major attraction will be “multi-motion dark ride” themed around Dante’s Inferno, complete with an entrance that warns “abandon all hope ye who enter here”. We know little about it, but we’re intrigued. Finally, expect to see a panoramic flight simulator and an Indian-themed Intamin free fall drop tower.
The latest: This will be Cinecittà World’s last appearance in this list, as it opened to the public in July 2014. You can check out a POV video of its 10-looping coaster below.
4. Cartoon Network Amazone (Bang Saray, Thailand)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2014
Originally scheduled to open on July 31, 2014, Cartoon Network Amazone will be a heavily-themed water park based on licensed properties from Cartoon Network.
Among the attractions due to be included in the park’s line-up are a “high-speed water roller coaster” themed around Ben 10, a “vertical” slide featuring Jake from Adventure Time and Cartoonival, the “world’s largest aqua playground” with over 150 attractions.
The latest: The following message recently appeared on the park’s website. “From August, a select group of lucky thrill-seekers, wannabe-surfers and swimmers will experience Cartoon Network Amazone for the very first time. Initially, in a pre-opening period, these invited guests and annual pass holders will be the only members of the public to sample the excitement of the world’s first and only Cartoon Network-themed waterpark, as operator Amazon Falls Co. Ltd continues to embed and fine-tune systems, processes and procedures at the park. The grand opening — when all features will be operational — is scheduled for the end of the year.”
So, to summarise – the park’s grand opening is delayed, seemingly until sometime much later this year. But there will be a soft opening period throughout August.
3. HotGo Theme Park (Fushun, China)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2015
China’s debt-fuelled spending spree has seen a number of new theme parks spring up over the last few years, and the HotGo theme park appears to be one of the most ambitious. Part of the larger HotGo complex, it is set to sprawl across 200 acres and looks like something of a Disneyland clone.
The park’s backers appear to be aiming high, having engaged the Goddard Group (one of the world’s leading, and most expensive, design firms) to help plan HotGo. They are said to be aiming for “Disney standards or better” – we’ll have to wait and see if they can pull it off. In the meantime, a water park is already open on the site and the castle-themed hotel at its entrance is nearing completion.
The latest: There have been few updates on this project of late, but we can take a look at some artwork for the hotel, which is well on its way to completion:
2. Primorsky Oceanarium (Vladivostok, Russia)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: TBC
Set to be a SeaWorld-style combination of a massive aquarium, other attractions and a research center, The Primorsky Oceanarium is backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Guests will be able to take tours, views exhibits, watch marine mammal shows and interact with dolphins. Work appears to be seriously delayed, though, with the aquarium’s own official website still boasting of an opening date in 2012.
The scale of the aquarium, if and when it does open, will be impressive – holding around 25,000 tons of water, making it one of the largest in the world. An underwater tunnel will be 70 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and equipped with a moving walkway. 800 species of marine and fresh water creatures are set to be on show.
Concept art appears to show that 3-D shows and other theme park-style attractions will also be a part of the Oceanarium’s line-up.
The latest: The project appears to be stuck in limbo at present, with many of the aquarium’s marine life residents still holed up in temporary storage tanks. The official website warns “please note that the construction of Primorsky Aquarium is not yet completed…”
1. Shanghai Disneyland (Shanghai, China)
Status: Under construction
Opening in: 2015
As with its previous overseas resorts in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, Disney isn’t going it alone on the Shanghai Disneyland project. Indeed, the resort is set to be majority-owned by the Chinese government, which will take a 57% stake. Given the lacklustre performance of nearby Hong Kong Disneyland, it’s perhaps not surprising that Disney is looking to minimise its exposure – particularly with initial reports putting the construction budget for the Shanghai project at around $3.6 billion.
Water is set to feature heavily in the Shanghai Disney Resort, as shown in the concept art above. The entire resort will be surrounded by a 60-metre-wide river, which will be around 10 kilometres in length. In addition, a central lake has been constructed a cost of some $41.5 million.
At least for the first few years of its operation, the undoubted centerpiece of the Shanghai Disney Resort will be Shanghai Disneyland Park. Its name suggests that it will closely resemble the other “Magic Kingdom” parks around the world (Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland), adopting the traditional hub-and-spoke design with a central castle and a range of familiar sub-lands. However, there will also be some significant differences between the Chinese park and the existing parks.
Shanghai Disneyland will not feature its own version of Main Street, USA. Instead, it will host a garden area in front of its iconic central castle. Part of this will be dubbed “The Garden of the Twelve Friends”, replacing the traditional hub. Sponsored by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, it will combine Disney characters and ornate mosaics to represent the twleve Chinese Zodiac characters. It will span 11 acres, and boast rows of peach trees.
We don’t have a confirmed line-up of rides, attractions and restaurants for Shanghai Disneyland as yet – although we do have an unconfirmed one. We also know for sure that one of the headline attractions will be Pirates of the Caribbean – Battle of the Sunken Treasure, a high-tech update of the classic Disneyland ride that will see guests joining in an adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Davy Jones.
The latest: Thanks to our friend Stefan Zwanzger (aka The Theme Park Guy), we have some new photos of Shanghai Disneyland construction to share with you.
The first image shows work on the Tron Lightcycles Power Run coaster – a concept that has long pitched for the US parks but will finally become a reality in China.
The next shows the overall scale of the work going on, which is truly astonishing.
The final image shows sections of roller coaster track, probably belonging to the park’s clone of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
Skip on over to the Theme Park Guy to see more shots of Shanghai Disneyland construction work, and look out for next month’s update on the world’s most exciting new theme parks here on Theme Park Tourist!
