Disney Announces New Middle East Theme Park in UAE

Disney theme park fans will have a whole new world to explore in the future, this time in the Middle East.

On Wednesday, the House of Mouse announced a partnership with Miral. It is an entertainment company based in Abu Dhabi. That is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Miral is responsible for several major tourist attractions on Yas Island. It is a 9.7 square mile island near the UAE coast. The new Disney park will be on Yas Island. It will join Miral's Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, and other theme parks. 

“Abu Dhabi is a place where ... we preserve our past while designing the future,” Miral's chairman said in a written statement.

The Yas Island resort will be Disney’s seventh globally. The company expects the project to be completed by the early 2030s.

Josh D’Amaro, chairman of experiences at Disney, said there was “no question” Disney’s next major project would be located in Abu Dhabi. It is situated within a four-hour flight from a third of the world’s population. That includes India’s 1.5 billion people.

Disney imagines the park as a technological achievement.

“Our resort in Abu Dhabi will be (our) most advanced and interactive destination ...,” D’Amaro said. “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.”

Reflect: What do you think makes a theme park most exciting and fun to visit?

Photo of conceptual art of Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi from Disney Press Release.