Disney Announces New Theme Park in Abu Dhabi

In a post cleverly titled “A Whole New World Awaits”, Disney has announced plans to create its 7th Disney resort in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The resort will be created in cooperation with Miral, known for its other themed destinations and experiences in Abu Dhabi. Disney will provide the creative design and operational oversight; Miral will develop and build the resort.

Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be located on Yas Island, already home to other experience destinations. Disney’s park will join

• Yas Waterworld
• Warner Bros. World™ Yas Island
• Ferrari World Yas Island
• SeaWorld Yas Island

All these parks in one place, plus other tourist experiences, will create a density of vacation fun similar to what you can find in the Orlando area. Importantly, it will be less than four hours’ flight time for a third of the global population, with easy access from locations in the Middle East and Africa, India, Europe, and beyond. The UAE is home to the largest global airline hub in the world, with 120 million passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

The development model appears similar to the agreements that Disney has for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, in partnership with the Oriental Land Company. What that means for projects already announced: Funding for this project will be provided by Miral. It’s coming out of a ‘separate bucket’ to the billions in development that Disney has already promised for Disney World and Disneyland over the next several years.

What Disney said:

“This is a thrilling moment for our company as we announce plans to build an exciting Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, whose culture is rich with an appreciation of the arts and creativity,” said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “As our seventh theme park destination, it will rise from this land in spectacular fashion, blending contemporary architecture with cutting-edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways. Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati – an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come.”

Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, also weighed in:

“This groundbreaking resort destination represents a new frontier in theme park development. Our resort in Abu Dhabi will be the most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio. The location of our park is incredibly unique – anchored by a beautiful waterfront – which will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways. This project will reach guests in a whole new part of the world, welcoming more families to experience Disney than ever before. Ultimately, it will be a celebration of what’s possible when creativity and progress come together.”

What Miral said:

“Abu Dhabi is a place where heritage meets innovation, where we preserve our past while designing the future,” His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman at Miral, said. “The collaboration between Abu Dhabi and Disney demonstrates the remarkable results of combining visionary leadership and creative excellence. What we are creating with Disney in Abu Dhabi is a whole new world of imagination — an experience that will inspire generations across the region and the world, creating magical moments and memories that families will treasure forever. Through the development of unique attractions and experiences, Abu Dhabi continues to be a destination of choice for the world.”

Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, Group CEO, Miral said:

“Bringing a Disney theme park resort to Yas Island marks a historic milestone in our journey to further advance the island’s position as a global destination for exceptional entertainment and leisure. Together, we are creating a place of boundless innovation, where the vision of our leadership continues to inspire the world.”

No timeline has been announced yet for the park’s opening, nor the park’s official name (it’s being called ‘Disneyland Abu Dhabi’ for the moment). But I’m sure we can look forward to more news about entertainment, dining, attractions, and of course retail as Disney and Miral move forward together. Stay tuned for news as we have it, right here on the blog!

Are you excited by this news? Will you travel to the UAE to check out this new park when it opens? Let us know in the comments!