IF you're visiting Dubai with family this summer, don't miss the dolphinarium at Dubai's Creekside park. The Dubai Dolphinarium which opened recently is home to three dolphins and four seals. The facility offers a water circus show, dolphin therapy, dolphin sighting excursions, and educational lectures by scientists in marine-themed classrooms. Dubai is the busiest air transit hub in the Gulf, and a popular short-holiday destination for Saudis who need no visa for travel within the GCC bloc. The dolphinarium is just one of a series of Dubai Municipality initiatives to offer the public a variety of recreational and edutainment projects. The dolphinarium offers a water circus show, dolphin therapy, dolphin sighting excursions, and educational lectures. The facility boasts marine-themed classrooms and a multimedia library. It also has a Marine Mammal Education Center, led by a team of specialist scientists. “The opening of the Dubai Dolphinarium is a huge step forward in the evolution of Dubai as an edutainment hub,” said Abdul Rehman Falaknaz, president of International Expo Consults (IEC), organizers of the annual Dubai Entertainment, Amusement & Leisure Show (DEAL). “Families want more from their recreational pursuits nowadays. They want to be thrilled and entertained, but they also want to know that their children are taking something positive from the experience. Facilities such as the new dolphinarium offer the perfect balance of fun and learning,” Falaknaz said. Other edutainment facilities under development in Dubai include the Restless Planet park, planned for City of Arabia. The park will reportedly boast the world's largest collection of animatronics dinosaurs, as well as having an earth science museum and planetarium. The facility will open in 2010 at the gateway to Dubailand.
