However, things are looking optimistic over in the commercial capital of the UAE with a number of new displays appearing in the Dubailand office and a number of advertisments for park appearing around the city. Not to mention the visible progress at F1X- the Formula 1 theme park.
Firstly there's lots more advertisments for the Six Flags park around the city, which is very promising considering Six Flags current financial problems. Of course the developers of Dubailand, Tatweer, were always going to be funding the Six Flags project.
A new Six Flags model has appeared since my last visit in May of last year. The model features what looks like a GCI Woodie, an Intamin Strata similar to Kingda Ka and a B and M inverted coaster.
Ground has been broke at Universal, although the final opening date has been knocked back to late 2010. Some new promotional material for Universal shows images advertising a Men In Black roller coaster, Revenge of the Mummy and King Kong.
The other parks, including F1X, which is already under construction and is preparing for a Eurofighter, are all still on-schedule. This includes the DreamWorks theme park, the Marvel theme park and Legoland Dubailand.
The less known parks including one to be placed in City of Arabia are also still slated for the dates originally planned which is all very promising for the destination.
Outside of the theme parks Dubailand is progressing very well considering the current financial climate. Hotels, apartments and shopping malls are appearing all over the destination and the growth in the Dubailand area is staggering when compared to my last visit last May.
Based on what I've seen of Dubailand, from concept drawings to actual construction, I honestly believe this is a destination that can give the likes of Orlando a run for their money, especially when it comes to European customers. Dubailand doesn't just offer Dubailand, it offers the chance to visit one of the current best cities in the world in my opinion. Dubai has established itself on the tourism map and it looks like it's here to stay and as a former resident I must say I'm thrilled.