An underwater theme park in Dubai?

An American company has come up with designs for an underwater theme park which it believes would be ideal for Dubai.

Reef Worlds said it is designing what would be “the world’s largest sustainable underwater tourism site”. It added that it is currently in the middle of contracts with two entities at this time

It claims the project, called ‘Pearl of Dubai’, could allow waterfront resort development partners the opportunity to tap into a global $3 billion dive and snorkel market.

Having previously worked on film sets and commercials, this would be the first tourism site for Reef Worlds. The company added that, beyond the recreational benefits, it would also help to create a regional habitat underwater.

"The UAE has a unique tourism problem that we address," said Reef Worlds director of development Dave Taylor. "When one considers Dubai and the region, scuba diving and underwater exploration is not on the Top Ten list, and yet it is almost everywhere else in the world."

"The Reef Worlds brand is all about sustainability and the creation of new habitat while at the same time adding instant tourism revenue and excitement to waterfront resorts.

"We will work with carefully selected resort partners on unique underwater habitat projects that directly support our clients' sustainability and revenue goals.

Reef Worlds believes it could complete the project for less than US $5 million.

"Put into context that is 30% cheaper than a recent artificial reef site in Bahrain, and about 80% cheaper than a land based water-park which also has high maintenance costs," it said.

The company added that it has plans to expand with waterfront resort developers from Dubai to the Philippines in places where tourism and regional habitat could use an immediate boost.