by Donald Wood
Last updated: 4:30 PM ET, Thu March 3, 2016
Photo via Dubai Parks and Resorts
On Tuesday, officials from the Dubai Parks and Resorts complex project revealed a model of the $2.8 billion facility that will sit just outside downtown Dubai.
According to The Associated Press, plans for the Dubai Parks and Resorts show it will cover 9.5 square miles of desert southwest of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The facility is expected to consist of a Taj Mahal-inspired theater, Legoland, movie-themed attractions and much more.
Dubai Parks officials have already received a red dragon made of 230,000 Lego bricks for the Legoland roller-coaster, and the park's movie-themed area-dubbed Motiongate-will feature a Smurfs village. The facility will also feature several Bollywood Parks, a Lego water park, themed shops, restaurants and a luxury hotel.
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To help keep visitors comfortable and out of the intense Dubai summertime heat, there will be many attractions inside, and 5,000 palm trees and 1.2 million shrubs will be planted around air-conditioned areas where guests will wait in line for rides.
The long-term hope from park officials is that the growing tourism numbers will continue trending upward, and they will capitalize on it with the new facility, even amid the falling oil prices.
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In 2015, Dubai hosted 14.2 million overnight visitors, which was an increase from the 13.2 million visitors in 2014. Tourism authorities expect to see 20 million overnight visitors per year by 2020.
The Niume World Twitter account shared images of the park model:
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