28 August 2007

Lol @ Bahraini Waterpark

Well guys, its finally ready; this Monday, 3rd of September, the doors of "Lost Paradise of Dilmun Waterpark" will open its doors to the public, press, and everyone else interested in having a good bit of aqua-fun. The prices are supposedly kept under wraps, but as far as my insider sources tell me, tickets will be BD8 for children, and BD12 for adults.


The timing of the park opening is a bit off though, I guess. Schools in Bahrain start on the 4th, the day right after the park opens. Also, the opening coincides with the end of the summer period; wouldn't it have made more sense to open during the hottest period of the year? Well, I guess delays in completing huge projects such as this (almost $50 million) are inevitable.

Seriously though, I don't think this park was meant for the locals; if the prices are actually released as my inside sources state (ie, BD8 and BD12), then the average Bahraini won't exactly be able to afford it. I don't think your average BD400 bread-earner is willing to pay a good 50 or 60 dinars for a single day of water soaked entertainment for him and his family. I mean, I know many families who actually all get together to split the BD40 or BD50 it costs to rent out a swimming pool for a day.


Anyway, no complaints, i'm guessing the investors are looking for a good return on their investment, and charging any less isn't really going to cut it for them. Also, keeping the prices high ensures the quality of visitors doesn't drop below a certain level (ie, the level of people that manage to break and ruin everything because they find it 'funny').

The report states the park can handle upto 5,000 visitors a day (although I doubt it will ever reach that number), and the park is expected to bring in around 200,000 visitors a year. Doing a little bit of calculation, this means the park will be working at approximately 10% of its full capacity (ability to accomodate 1.8 million visitors a year, but only expected to bring in 200,000). Assuming all of these visitors are adults, this will bring in a good BD2.4 million in ticket income, which means the park needs to operate at this level for almost 8 years to re-coup its original cost, and this is without considering its day-to-day running expenses (salaries, maintenance, water costs, etc). I just wonder how good an investment this really is.


Anyway, I hope for the best; it has opened up the doors to another outlet for high-class entertainment in Bahrain. I really do feel bad for many of the locals, however, who know that such facilities exist yet find it very difficult to actually go out and spend a day or two of fun with their families; there isn't exactly a cheaper option available anywhere else (gone are the days of Qassari, Ain Athari, etc).

$50m water park to open
28 August 2007

THE $50 million (BD18.9m) Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park will open to the public on Monday, officials confirmed yesterday.Park sales and marketing director Mohammed Ali said the facility, believed to be the biggest of its kind in the Middle East, would be unveiled to the public following an exclusive media launch the day before.

Press from across the Gulf have been invited to the day-long event, which will include an opening ceremony and a tour of the park.

Further details, including ticket prices and timings, are being kept secret until a Press conference on Sunday.

The water park, which features some of the world's largest aquatic high-tech rides, is one of the main parts of the mixed-use $1 billion (BD378m) Al Areen Development Project.

It aims to provide a modern, hi-tech, family recreation facility that will also recapture the ancient history of Bahrain by integrating the Dilmun period into the park's theme.

Located near the Bahrain International Circuit, the park, which spans 77,000sqm, will be able to handle up to 5,000 guests per day.

The attraction is expected to pull in 200,000 visitors a year and will have about 20,000sqm for future expansion and car parking. It will help to create around 150 new jobs.

The park will include slides and pools, a family raft ride, a wave pool, a spa pool, suq, restaurants and shaded parking for up to 650 vehicles.

Fully qualified lifeguards will be based at every attraction and the park will also have a staffed first aid station as well as male and female prayer rooms.

It has been designed and will be operated by Malaysian-based company Sim Leisure Consultants.

Among its many features will be the Dilmun Artesian Spring, recreating the idea of Bahrain's ancient springs and replicas of Dilmun ruins will be set up with thatched shaded lounging areas.


Article

29 comments:

  1. Although I applaud your concern for the majority of people, I think that the price tag does indeed ensure the quality of visitors is kept to a high standard due to the rest of the population being careless and simply hateful of anything good in this country, just look at the state of seating in public transport stations, just look at public phones, the youth around here seem to be uneducated about respecting the importance of public facilities and that there are a lot of other human beings that will need to use these. Instead, they go braking and smashing. I am not talking about rioters, that's a different case altogether but I am talking about the everyday asswipe who skips school and goes around breaking stuff with complete disregard to public interest, safety or even authority.

    This should be interesting, although I haven't been to Wild Wadi in Dubai but I don't think this will be able to match it, will it?

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  2. Like I mentioned, that is the upside to keeping the prices up, because unfortunately we have a lot of dickheads out there who thinks its funny to go around breaking stuff. It's messed up that we have to restrict everyone under a certain paycheck from going though just to avoid these idiots. Another case of how a few spoil it for the many.

    Anyhow, the waterpark is supposed to be a lot bigger and better than Wild Wadi, and from the photos (and the mild $50million investment) it's very likely that it will be!

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  3. I think the prices are reasonable compared to Dubai prices. I know an average bahraini wouldnt be able to pay for it on weekly bases . But trust me, look at this project from a different angle and a positive side of it. I mean you wouldnt want to take ur family every week cuz eventually it will be boring to go . once every few months for people who cant afford or even for pple who can pay this amount of money is more than enough for a water park since its same games same place for a lifetime in your country. This is like a ''summer disneyland'' . I mean i remember how exciting for me to go the first timeand then along the way its just blah. Plus i think its a great deal thats its in your own country having a beautiful project that can be consumed with our ridicilous weather.

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  5. Anonymous12:30

    How come I've never heard about it!
    I admire your compassion, yet, I believe it's a fair price for such high-quality facility.

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  6. looking forward to take the kids there, will have to be a weekend and before the summer ends. i'm sure season packages will eventually emerge once the crowd reduces. I really hope it stays clean, with proper services and looked after by the management, also the most important aspect is the moderization, i.e. they have to maintain growth and provide new attractions at least on an annual basis, or just like everything else in Bahrain the novelty will ultimately wear-off and the place will end up Water Garden, Adhari, etc..

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  7. Bro.. R U on commission basis?

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  8. Wow... looks like i'll get on the first plane to Bahrain. ;)

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  9. qute: I'm not complaining really, i'm just ranting on.. True, it's definately not an everyday thing, and the price is pretty reasonable as compared to Dubai. Wild Wadi is now 170 dirhams for entry.

    الروح: Dunno why you never heard about it :p Maybe you need to check the news every now and then

    Capt Arab: Yes, lets hope it keeps evolving and is kept in top shape. And uhhh, what commission basis? I wish.

    Cancarian; 7ayakum!

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  10. "The park can handle upto 5,000 visitors a day". Are they serious?

    Did you see the size of pools? Imagine 1000 visitors only inside one pool :)

    I can't say the price is fair or not before I see the number of games/facilities available.

    Honestly, the park size should not be associated with the ticket price. Disney land tickets cost between $50 to $70 but it worth it considering the fun and the number of games available within each park. But with this park, I am not really sure!

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  11. At least there would be somewhere to take the kids once i move to Bahrain

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  12. Anonymous15:08

    This looks like the classier verion of the Aqua Park in Kuwait. I do agree the prices of the tickets are slightly above what average Bahraini people could afford, but will have to know how exactly it looks like inside. Where is this located, by the way? And do they have a special day for females only?

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  13. Anonymous16:00

    yalla inshalla i go there with my next spare money!

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  14. WOW thats will be very very expencible.. maybe for Expa it will be Okay , andlet me tell you still .. but for a bahrani kid? or for a bahraini family with more than 2 kids? come one. they will never be able to go and enjoy this kind of wather park.. thats very sad ended..

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  15. I don't know if I will ever go there, who knows. It does seems like quite an attraction. This however doesn't seem to be only a local wonder. If marketed correctly it could attract a lot of people from around the gulf.

    Who wouldn't want to travel to bahrain for a weekend in the water?

    However, you're right about opening up at the end of summer. It doesn't make sense. Unless, they want to be cautious and have people come in gradually over the course of the year to fix quirks and whatnot. Then they can have the unofficial grand opening next year. Who knows!

    3alekom bel 3afiya ^_^

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  16. Anonymous16:59

    Glad the prices are high enough to keep the uneducated yobs out - the same people who have turned seef into a slutfest.

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  17. WOW Mashalla it looks amazing and fun!
    I wish this project all the best.
    I'm not sure about the BD currency aganist the UAE dirham.
    Wild Wadi (AQUA park) charges high too when it first started!

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  18. Anonymous00:26

    It looks AMAZING!!

    it's much better than we have here in kuwait!

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  19. wow looks cool !! i'll make sure to visit you guys !!

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  20. Fantastic! Something to look forward isn't it and it'll definitely boost tourism in your country too ;)

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  21. Well, that's the price of tourism nowadays, I'll test it out once my holiday starts in Ramadan WooHoo!

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  22. I don't know about the financial level of the families who live in Bahrain, but if it is as you said, then pricing the outlet with this tag will not bring in revenues quickly.

    Despite everything, I don't see why would a country offer services and outlets to its citizens if they do not afford it. Perhaps though they are planning to bring in tourists and other expats to the city to boost the business

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  23. Butterfly; well, if you pile them all up next to each other, I guess you have enough space for 5000 people. its not going to be comfortable, but they do fit.

    Wardat; yes, more fun, woohhoow

    Cece; Aquapark kwt is a lot of fun :) About a day for females, I really dont know, but it would make a lot of sense.

    lizardo; yup, save up from now :p

    mrs dynamite; yeah well, what to do...

    n; yup, it needs some really good marketing. theyre calling press and media from all over the gulf for the opening. lets see how it works out.

    merlin; lol

    dynamic; comes to a little under 120dhs

    riko/navy/shionge; yeah, you should come and visit!

    yacoub; really? in ramadan?

    kj; seems everything here is focused on the luxury high-end. either for the few high earners in the country, or for the rich tourists

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  24. Anonymous11:04

    Cece

    Regarding the female day, I already asked this question. The answer is NO, so far no plans for a female day but they might consider it in the future.

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  25. honestly, i don't think the prices are bad. water parks in the states are the same if not more.

    i don't think that the average bahraini would go to this park anyway. what would the girls do? altho, my husband did snap a pic of two women in the water at novatel not too long ago wearing abayas. so does that mean that girls would go and go down the water slides w/ those on?

    i think you'll find a lot of same type of ppl that go to the clubs here... like al bandar and such, and probably a lot of expats.

    i'd enjoy going, but am glad that it isn't cheap because so many youth do destroy things here... and THAT'S the shame. so many aren't taught to respect others and things such as this. so i'm actually glad about this.

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  26. Anonymous12:50

    The park is the biggest in the middle east including Wild Wady, and there is ample room for expantion.Regarding the admission fee I think it is reasnable, and for the people who can't afford it we have several places in Bahrain where they could have fun in the water at an affordable price, like the water park on Sh Kalifa Highway,Kasary Park on Khamis Road, and the new water park in Mahooz. also I think the majority of Bahrainies can afford to go at least 3-6 times a year which is more then enough. Re woman I see no problem as Ive seen Bahraini,Saudi,and Kuwaiti woman and families enjoying their time in the biggest water park in Malaysia , Sunway Lagoon wearing stretch pants and Tshirts or full body suits without any problems, and for many Khaliji women just watching their children having so much fun in the water is enough. I hope they will have a good DJ to play some music, can't waiT to relax on a tube in their man made river while listening to Jay Lo or Beyonce and Shakira.

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  27. I don't wanna sound mean but we prayed for the prices to be high! we dont want the "hailaq" to go and mess everything up like they do every time!

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  28. thank you for the insight and heads-up, been wondering when will it open...
    however i think the pricing is not over rated as this is meant to be making money not charity!!!
    i am glad that finally bahrain has a new get-away...
    cheers!

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  29. Anonymous11:29

    I agree with Anon regarding the female day.

    Married women prefer to go along with their families (the husband and children). I would love to be with females only but I can understand that from the business point of view allocating one day for women is not practical or profitable.






    Re woman I see no problem as Ive seen Bahraini,Saudi,and Kuwaiti woman and families enjoying their time in the biggest water park in Malaysia , Sunway Lagoon wearing stretch pants and Tshirts or full body suits without any problems, and for many Khaliji women just watching their children having so much fun in the water is enough. I hope they will have a good DJ to play some music, can't waiT to relax on a tube in their man made river while listening to Jay Lo or Beyonce and Shakira

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