Disney Unveils First-Ever Middle East Theme Park—And It’s Headed to Abu Dhabi!

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Summary

  • Disney is planning to build a new resort and park in Abu Dhabi on Yas Island by 2030.
  • The project is a partnership with Miral, a UAE company, and will be the first Disney park in the Middle East.

Enthusiasts of Disneyland can look forward to a fresh vacation spot in the coming years, as the Walt Disney Corporation has recently unveiled their plans for a brand-new park in Abu Dhabi. This will mark the company’s seventh resort and is projected to welcome visitors within five years.

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself captivated by the extraordinary growth of The Walt Disney Company, particularly in their park investments. In an exciting announcement made by CEO Bob Iger and Chairman Josh D’Amaro in 2023, they revealed that the company aims to double its investment in parks over the next decade. This ambitious plan is designed to further enhance and expand our beloved parks.

The expansion encompasses improvements to existing open parks, and it’s not hard to speculate that the company had aspirations for constructing more parks globally – a notion reinforced by Bob Iger’s statement in 2018 that new parks were imminent. Though his statement was made several years ago, anticipation has been high since then about Disney announcing the building of a new park. In fact, there were even whispers back in 2018 suggesting an Australia location, but those turned out to be false rumors.

As reported by Forbes, a fresh Disney resort and park are slated for construction in Abu Dhabi, anticipated to debut around 2030. This exciting development will be situated on the artificial Yas Island, designed to offer both indoor and outdoor experiences due to the tropical climate. Notably, Yas Island currently houses numerous indoor theme parks, including a Warner Bros. themed park with an upcoming Harry Potter zone.

What We Know About Disneyland Abu Dhabi So Far

The project is a collaboration with Miral, a recreational company supported by the UAE government that manages Yas Island and its parks. Notably, Miral will not only oversee the operation of Disneyland Abu Dhabi, but they’ll also handle its construction, much like Oriental Land Company does for Disneyland Tokyo. This will be the first Disney park in the Middle East and the first to be built on water. There are future plans to construct a frozen replica of Disney’s famous signature castle right on the beach, with additional details to be revealed later on.

Developing a Disney-themed resort on Yas Island signifies a significant milestone in our mission to establish it as a premier worldwide hub for extraordinary entertainment and relaxation. In collaboration, we’re building an arena of endless creativity, where the visionary ideas of our leaders continue to captivate the globe.

— Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral Group

Over the past few years, countries like the UAE, which have a strong oil-based economy, have been channeling their funds into the tourism sector, recognizing it as a promising alternative source of wealth amidst growing energy transition discussions. In particular, the UAE is looking forward to enhancing its leisure tourism through the establishment of Disneyland, with D’Amaro describing this upcoming resort as revolutionary and the most advanced and interactive destination in Disney’s existing offerings.

Currently, Disney manages a total of twelve theme parks situated at six different global destinations: The Disneyland Resort in California (USA), the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (USA), Tokyo Disney Resort (Japan), Disneyland Paris (France), Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (Lantau Island), and Shanghai Disney Resort (China).

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2025-05-08 05:40