Dubai is set to become home to another major attraction aimed at its fast-growing family market, when Legoland opens its eighth theme park worldwide there in October.

Plans to develop a Legoland park in Shanghai and other visitor attractions across China have been unveiled by Merlin Entertainments.

The new Legoland will offer 60 rides and slides, as well as 15,000 model structures built from 60 million Lego bricks. Legoland Dubai will be the third theme park to open within the new Dubai Parks and Resorts Zone. Its neighbours are Motiongate Park, which features highlights from the Dreamworks, Lionsgate and Sony Pictures film studios; and Bollywood Parks, aimed at Indian visitors.

With a Dubai Safari Park also under development, Dubai Tourism CEO Issam Kazzim said the emirate is already attracting more families and sees significant potential to grow this market segment even further. Demand for Dubai has softened recently because of security concerns about the Middle East and North Africa, according to several German tour operators. However, Kazzim said, Dubai is one of the safest destinations in the world. Mara Kaselitz, head of Dubai Tourism in Germany, said cruises to Dubai continue to sell well.