Busch Entertainment to operate four theme parks in Dubai

Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment division of Anheuser-Busch Cos., has inked a deal with a Dubai company to create the Worlds of Discovery - SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove - on The Palm Jebel Ali man-made island in Dubai. The city is in the United Arab Emirates on the southern edge of the Persian Gulf.

The deal gives international reach to Busch Entertainment, a relatively small division of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch.

A “memorandum of understanding” between Busch Entertainment and Nakheel PJSC, one of the world’s largest property developers, calls for the phased construction of four theme parks on the second of Nakheel’s three Palm man-made island developments.

The first phase — SeaWorld and Aquatica – is slated to open in 2012, with Busch Gardens to follow in 2015. The opening date for Discovery Cove has not been nailed down.

The partnership provides a big opportunity for Orlando-based Busch Entertainment to grow and elevate the prominance of Anheuser-Busch’s brands, said Jim Atchison, Busch Entertainment’s president and chief operating officer.

“We see it as a terrific family leisure destination,” Atchison said in an interview Thursday morning. “It gives us a whole new audience to showcase our brands.”

As Dubai became a premier travel destination for visitors from Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, Busch Entertainment sought out a deal with Nakheel. Talks started about two years ago, with more intense discussions going back about six months, said Atchison.

The deal represents a big boost in Busch Entertainment’s profile. The company currently operates 10 parks in the U.S. and said last year that it was the fourth-largest theme park operator in the country, competing with Walt Disney Co., Six Flags Parks and Universal Studios Theme Parks, among others.

Busch Entertaiment is a small slice of Anheuser-Busch’s business, contributing about 8 percent of the brewer’s net sales and profits last year. 

Nakheel, a division of holding company Dubai World, will invest the necessary capital to build and operate the parks. Busch Entertainment will license its brands to Nakheel and operate the parks under a management contract. 

Worlds of Discovery will occupy a section of The Palm Jebel Ali known as “the Crown,” which will resemble a giant killer whale when reclamation work is complete. Nakheel’s plans for The Palm Jebel Ali, currently the world’s largest man-made island, also call for the construction of commercial, residential and shopping districts, as well as resort hotels and restaurants.

More than 300 million cubic yards of sand and 10 million tons of rock have been used in the construction of The Palm Jebel Ali, according to Nakheel. The island adds more than 52 miles of coastline to Dubai. Nakheel expects that the island’s infrastructure will eventually support a population of more than 280,000 people.

“Dubai has become one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, and a key part of the strategy has been attracting world-class entertainment brands to the emirate,” Chris O’Donnell, chief executive of Nakheel, said in a statement. “The partnership (with Busch Entertainment) is a further example of Dubai’s growth as a city of global prominence.”

The Worlds of Discovery project will be phased and includes SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Discovery Cove and, the company’s newest theme park brand, Aquatica, SeaWorld’s waterpark. Worlds of Discovery on The Palm Jebel Ali will also include a variety of other family activities, including resort hotels, spas, shops and restaurants.

The Worlds of Discovery in Dubai will be designed and managed by Busch Entertainment. The parks will be staffed by a combination of Busch Entertainment expatriates and executives trained in Busch parks in the United States, as well as workers recruited regionally, the companies said.

In addition to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, plans call for the construction of a Discovery Cove similar to the park adjacent to SeaWorld Orlando. Discovery Cove in Orlando is an reservations -only park that allows guests to swim with bottlenose dolphins, rays and exotic fish. The first Aquatica, SeaWorld’s waterpark, opened this week in Orlando.