Disney to open first Middle East theme park in Abu Dhabi on Yas Island
The park will be Disney’s seventh global destination, following Disneyland parks in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
An undated artist's rendering shows a Disney theme park resort which the Walt Disney Company and Miral plan to construct in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo: Walt Disney Imagineering/Handout via REUTERS)
Walt Disney announced plans on Wednesday (May 7) to open a theme park in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with regional developer Miral Group, its first major new theme park in nearly a decade and its first in the Middle East.
The planned waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a popular tourist destination that also hosts Warner Bros World, SeaWorld and Yas Waterworld.
The city of Abu Dhabi has a population of about 2.5 million, but Yas Island recorded more than 34 million visits in 2023, a 38 per cent rise from the year before, according to Miral.
“We’ve always been interested in this part of the world – to bring our Disney stories to new, younger fans,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences. “Abu Dhabi was an ideal location for us.”
Miral will finance, build and operate the resort. Disney’s Imagineers, the creative and technical minds behind its parks, will lead design and provide operational oversight. The US entertainment company will earn royalties based on the park’s revenue, according to a regulatory filing.
Disney will not provide capital for the park but will license its intellectual property and receive service fees in addition to royalties.
The announcement comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE next week.
A FIRST FOR THE REGION
Disney CEO Bob Iger called the resort “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati – an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment that is at the crossroads of the world”.
Abu Dhabi, known for its oil wealth, announced plans last year to invest more than US$10 billion in infrastructure to grow its tourism industry. Meanwhile, Dubai’s international airport aims to expand capacity to accommodate 120 million passengers annually by 2026.
The UAE has leveraged long haul carriers like Emirates and Etihad to bring in growing numbers of tourists. Disney and Miral said they hope to capitalise on the combined annual traffic of around 120 million airline passengers passing through Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Disney has not set an opening date, but D’Amaro said a project of this scale could take one to two years to design and four to six years to build.
The completed resort will feature Disney themed attractions, dining and retail, blending the company’s storytelling with Abu Dhabi’s local heritage, D’Amaro said.
The park will be Disney’s seventh global destination, following Disneyland parks in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
INVESTMENT IN EXPERIENCES
The Abu Dhabi Park will be Disney’s first since Shanghai Disneyland in 2016 and continues the company’s push to grow its Experiences unit, which includes six global theme park resorts, a cruise line and a Hawaiian family resort.
In 2023, Disney said it would commit US$60 billion over 10 years to expand its cruise fleet and invest in parks. It also acquired a minority stake in Epic Games, creator of Fortnite.
Miral first approached Disney with its plans to expand Abu Dhabi tourism. After a September site visit and follow-up trip in February, the parties entered serious discussions. The amount of Miral’s investment was not disclosed.
Miral Group CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi called the addition of a Disney theme park “a historic milestone” in the company’s effort to develop Yas Island into a global entertainment hub.
