Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid, vice-president and ruler of Dubai, officially inaugurated the opening, with a stage spectacle featuring performers from all three of the parks.

Dubai Parks and Resorts features Bollywood Parks Dubai, the first Bollywood-themed park in the world; Legoland Dubai, the seventh of its kind globally; and Motiongate Dubai, which brings together three Hollywood studios together in one park for the first time – Columbia Pictures, Dreamworks Animation and Lionsgate. The three parks are also linked by Riverland Dubai, an area filled with a range of restaurants and shops. But there are still a few things to come in the 30.6 million square feet destination.

Legoland Water Park is due to open by the end of the year, and the last segment of Motiongate – the rides and attractions under the Lionsgate studio banner - by the spring, including a ride themed on The Hunger Games.

The complex includes a 501-room hotel, Lapita, which also opened over the weekend and is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.

Julien Munoz, Dubai Parks and Resorts’ vice-president of sales, said all areas of Dubai Parks and Resorts would be appealing to the UK market.

“In the UK, travellers are used to the multiple parks-in-one concept and to staying on-property at resort hotels while immersing themselves for a few days, so we think Dubai Parks and Resorts will really appeal to this market,” he said.

“Dubai is already a popular option from the UK and in spite of Brexit fears, UK travellers have continued to come here in large numbers, so we see them as a strong market, especially families of course.”

But Munoz said it was “hard to tell” how many park guests would be from the UK.

“We will be working closely with Dubai tourism to promote the parks and ensuring operators have packages in place, as well as arranging fam trips as we think once the trade see all this it will have the real wow factor,” he said.  

An average of around 18,000 visits to the park are expected to be made per day during its first year of operation, and Munoz said he didn’t anticipate having to put in place many discounts over the first year, other than the opening month.

“In the summer, yes it’s hot here of course, but it’s never far to walk between attractions, many areas of the park are under cover and many inside with air conditioning,” he said.

A three-park, one-day Hopper pass Celebration Offer costs AED295 (approx. £65) and is available until the end of January and includes more than 100 rides, shows and attractions.

Munoz said the 30-45-minute drive from central Dubai would not prove a deterrent for guests, with arrangements being put in place to offer free coach transfers to the parks, with 30 hotels currently and more to come.

“When you build a park complex of this scale, I think it’s expected it will be in a vast space away from the main city, and there is more to come with the project so it needs to have this area around it,” he said.

Still to come in late 2019 is Six Flags Dubai, a fourth theme park based on the popular US franchise.