Seaworld plotting Middle East theme parks

Seaworld Entertainment is looking to open a number of theme parks in the Middle East in partnership with a local operator.

In its first quarter results, released yesterday (May 14), the US company said it had entered into a six month memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a multi-park development in the Middle East with a partner who has an “established track record of opening and operating world-class attractions”.

Commenting on the partnership during an earnings call, Seaworld Entertainment president & CEO Jim Atchison said: “Our team has worked diligently with our partner to identify the best theme park concepts and potential locations in the region and we are moving forward into the next stage of this project.

“I’m excited about this opportunity to expand our theme parks to sites outside the United States and look forward to revealing more details as we advance this process."

Pushed by analysts for more details on the deal, Atchison said the terms of the MoU prohibited him from revealing any details of locations, number of parks or the economic arrangement of the deal.

However, he added that the company felt “very good about the likelihood of this discussion coming to fruition of us, building these parks”.

Formerly known as Busch Entertainment, Seaworld’s portfolio of brands includes SeaWorld, Shamu and Busch Gardens.

In 2008, the company announced plans to open four Worlds of Discovery parks on Palm Jebel Ali in Dubai which would form the shape of a killer whale. However, they later became subject to delays.