Dubai’s theme parks will generate US$5bn (€4.5bn, £3.1bn) annually by 2020, according to the organisers of the Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) show.

With Dubai’s overarching aim to welcome 20 million tourists annually by 2020 when it will host the Dubai Expo, theme parks developments are on the up in the country, with the AED10bn (US$2.7bn, €2.1bn, £1.7bn) Dubai Parks & Resorts complex and IMG Worlds of Adventure – the world’s largest climate-controlled indoor theme park – two of the most notable upcoming additions.

“The theme park industry is scaling the growth trajectory in the UAE," said Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, International Expo Consults (IEC) chair and organiser of DEAL, the largest platform for theme parks and the amusement industry in the Middle East.

"Entertainment and leisure projects within the UAE and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have boosted the confidence of the amusement and leisure industry manifold.” he continued, adding that the country is set to attract multi-billion dollar revenues by 2017 through this sector.

“The UAE is experiencing this exponential growth because of its quality infrastructure and growing tourism and retail industry sectors. Another key factor is that Dubai is also becoming the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) capital of the world due to the year-long calendar of trade events.

“This also brings in considerable amount of footfall as families merge business with leisure activities and that further propels the theme park industry.”

The most recent DEAL show, which took place from 14-16 April 2015, had contracts worth more than AED1.2bn (US$327m, €294m, £208m) signed at the show, which grew 35 per cent in size over the previous year, matching the industry growth seen around Dubai and the UAE.