Where Dubai Mall, next to Burj Dubai
Concept A child-sized replica of a real city in which children can try out professions and learn the value of money
Why This award-winning ‘edu-tainment’ facility offers children the chance to experience a unique real-life business and social environment that familiarises them with real-world careers.
www.thedubaimall.com/en/shop/kidzania
Have you heard of KidZania yet? It’s the current talk of town having opened a 7,500 square metre space at the Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination. It’s based on a concept created by theme park innovator Luis Javier Laresgoiti, and then developed by Mexican entrepreneur Xavier López Ancona, who remains the KidZania ceo.
The first KidZania opened in September 1999 in the Santa Fe Shopping Mall in Mexico City, and was named La Ciudad de los Niños ("The City of the Children"). Rather acrimoniously, the two original KidZania partners split in 2004 with Luis Javier Laresgoiti starting his own rival concept in the USA named Wannado City. At that point KidZania went on a franchise spree opening five more international locations with another six in the works, of which the Dubai Mall is the first to be completed.
Pop by the Dubai Mall location and you’ll find a child-sized replica of a real city, including buildings, shops and theatres, as well as vehicles and pedestrians moving along its streets. In this city, children, aged between 2 and 14, learn about the adult world, the value of money and work. It affords children the chance to dress up and role-play by choosing from 70 different professions ranging from doctors, teachers, construction workers, to artists and mechanics.
Playing at KidZania is not only fun but also empowering, as your brood will learn the principles of life in modern society. Children get to make choices in realistic scenarios that could vary from a street scene to a shop or factory. They use KidZos, the official currency of KidZania, with which they’re able to buy goods and services and earn a salary, thereby learning the value of money. The realism of KidZania goes so far as to include offices, schools, a fire station, a race track, a radio station, pizzeria, hospitals, a bank, ATM machines and a theatre – of course all scaled down to a smaller, child-friendly size. What’s more, large corporations are jumping on the bandwagon.
The latest, and most exciting addition, is Emirates. The international airline has brought in the fuselage of an actual aircraft, containing realistic flight simulators, check-in desks, X-ray machines and service trolleys to allow kids to get a feel of everything a commercial crew does. “At Emirates we are extremely passionate about our commitment to service and quality. We want all children who visit KidZania to receive as realistic an experience as possible,” said Mr Adel Al Redha, an executive vice president at Emirates. KidZania is a fresh and innovative concept and given that our children are the future, anything that gives them a leg up is a great, great thing.
