regional expansion

Wuhu, Friday, 21 November 2025.
Listings for Wuhu Fantawild Dreamland (Dangtu/Wuhu) and Handan Fantawild Oriental Legend (Wei County/Handan) appearing in travel guides this past Wednesday signal more than tourist curiosity: they mark measurable brand visibility across Anhui and Hebei that supports local destination strategies. For retail professionals, these inclusions suggest growing catchment-area marketing, uplift in footfall potential, and fresh downstream demand for retail, F&B and accommodation in secondary markets. They also offer a timely benchmark for competitive positioning versus domestic peers, input for transport and capacity planning, and a cue to prioritise local partnerships and phased investment. Expect implications for seasonality modelling, staffing cycles and lease negotiations at gateway retail nodes. Use these guide appearances to validate site-selection hypotheses and to accelerate stakeholder engagement—municipal bodies, operators and landlords—while monitoring guide updates as a low-cost signal of market intent and operational scale requirements. Plan pilot concepts now to capture early mover commercial advantages and test partnerships.

Dubai, Sunday, 7 September 2025.
IAAPA’s announcement of a first-ever Expo Middle East, set to debut in Abu Dhabi in 2026, signals a strategic shift that will shorten procurement cycles and bring roughly 5,000 m² of exhibit space closer to Gulf buyers. Retail suppliers, IP licensors and ride manufacturers should expect more localised product showcases, faster sales cycles and new competitive pressure as exhibitors decide how to split resources between Europe and the Middle East. The move—announced during opening of IAAPA Expo Europe last Tuesday—reflects rapid attractions-sector investment across the Gulf and promises easier market access, but also raises operational questions around regional certification, venue logistics and marketing reallocation. For commercial teams, the immediate value is clearer connection to project pipelines; the risk is fragmented presence and calendar congestion. This development matters for retail professionals planning assortment, licensing or F&B roll-outs: plan for compressed timelines, adjust trade-show calendars and reassess regional go-to-market budgets.