Not only does Ferrari build great cars, but they also build great amusement parks.
Ferrari has always been a name synonymous with extremely fast and luxurious supercars. That’s not normally something you’d expect to build a theme park around, but when a country has more supercars per capita than anywhere in the world, car manufacturers like Ferrari become a household name.
So that’s why Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has a Ferrari theme park.
Opened in November of 2010, Ferrari World has a number of world-leading attractions. First, almost the entire park is enclosed in a space frame structure measuring 925,000 sq ft. That’s more than 20 acres and is the largest space frame structure in the world. It also has the world’s fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa, which can launch a rider from zero to 150 mph in less than 5 seconds.
Ferrari World has been the Middle East’s leading theme park since 2016, and now the World Travel Awards has given the park the prestigious title of World’s Leading Theme Park.
“Four consecutive years as the Middle East leading theme park and we couldn’t be prouder,” said Bianca Sammut, General Manager of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, at the awards ceremony last week. “It’s an iconic theme park full of thrills and rides, and everything for all of our guests. We are so proud to win the award this evening."
The awards ceremony took place at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, the capital of Oman. There, theme park operators from around the world gathered to await the announcement of who would win the World's Leading Theme Park award for 2019 at a gala dinner.
In addition to having the fastest roller coaster, Ferrari World boasts a number of less extreme roller coasters that can be found beneath its space frame exterior. There are also go-karts (because of course there would be), racing simulator pods, family entertainment venues, and other attractions for those less inclined to experience the extreme G-forces associated with going from zero to sixty in less time than it takes to blink.