Disney Reveals New Theme Park in Abu Dhabi

The Walt Disney Company just shocked everyone by announcing the location of its seventh theme park, and you’ll definitely need a passport to visit. Yes, Disney just revealed a new theme park in Abu Dhabi. Let’s discuss everything we just found out. 

The Next Disney Theme Park Will Be at Yas Island

On Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, CNBC made an unexpected announcement. After briefly discussing the company’s quarterly earnings, which were excellent, the broadcast team pivoted to a surprise interview with Disney luminaries Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro. Disney’s CEO and the Chairman of Disney Experiences 

The logical expectation would have been CNBC interviewing Disney’s top executives about the theme parks and, specifically, the potential impact of an international trade war. But that wasn’t the case at all. Iger and D’Amaro unexpectedly revealed plans for a seventh theme park in a location that hadn’t even been rumored, at least not seriously.

The Walt Disney Company has entered into an agreement with the Miral Group, an Abu Dhabi company. You’re probably not familiar with Miral unless you’re in the theme park industry. The company has been the driving force in other theme parks such as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi. Now, Miral has landed its white whale by securing a contract with Disney. 

Why Did Disney Choose Abu Dhabi?

You may be wondering, “Why Abu Dhabi?” After all, the most recent rumors had suggested Singapore and India as the most likely locations for the seventh Disney theme park.

Well, there are several reasons from Disney’s perspective. Let’s focus on two. The first is that Miral will license the Disney theme park brand in a deal reminiscent of the existing agreement between Disney and the Oriental Land Company (OLC). It’s a bit of Disney trivia that the company doesn’t own the Tokyo Disney Resort. OLC does, but Disney earns significant revenue from its licensing fees. The Abu Dhabi theme park will work similarly. 

So, from Disney’s perspective, this deal won’t cost a dime. Iger and D’Amaro stressed that Disney would not provide any money for this project. Instead, Miral will pay Disney for the privilege of building a Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi.

The other reason involves proximity. During their interview and the later Disney earnings call, Iger and D’Amaro stressed the importance of the location of Abu Dhabi. According to them, 120 million “people will actually come through Dubai and Abu Dhabi this year.” Later, Iger noted that 39 million tourists will travel to the city by 2030. 

Disney’s perception is that the capital city of the United Arab Emirates offers the perfect combination of local travelers and international tourists. Iger adds that 500 million people who are “income-qualified” live within a four-hour plane flight of Abu Dhabi. What he means by that is half a billion people in the region can afford a Disney vacation and live within a short travel distance of the new theme park. As such, Disney’s attendance projections are bullish. You can watch the full interview here:

What We Know about the Abu Dhabi Theme Park 

As part of the Abu Dhabi announcement, Disney posted a press release, made these comments on CNBC, and spoke during the earnings call. We still didn’t learn much by way of specifics, though, which is understandable. This deal has come together quickly. 

Iger and D’Amaro flew to Abu Dhabi last fall. Then, they returned in February 2025 and a third time this week. So, there’s only a finite amount of firm plans in place. We do know that Disney will build right by the water on Yas Island. Here are his comments:

“One of the great things about the piece of land that we’ll be building on is it’s right up against the water. And so we’ll be pulling water into this resort. We really haven’t had an opportunity to do that anywhere else in the world. So, this will be incredibly different from anything that’s around it.”

I consider Tokyo Disney Resort by the water, which causes me to wonder about the distinction D’Amaro is making with Abu Dhabi. Given the sparkle in his eyes, he obviously thinks that the upcoming Disney resort will be breathtaking, though. 

What We Know about the Abu Dhabi Theme Park Part II

However, Iger explicitly stated that the project will take five years to build. Later, the CEO suggested that it’s more than five years away from opening. Therefore, we can safely conclude a timeline in the early 2030s for the Abu Dhabi Disney theme park. 

Disney promises that “This seventh Disney theme park resort will combine Disney’s iconic stories, characters, and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture.”

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman at Miral, added: “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.”

Disney Imagineers will work on the project, just as they did at Tokyo Disney Resort. Also, since I realize some of you will wonder, I should note that Miral is entirely a United Arab Emirates government-backed company. 

To a larger point, we all knew that Disney would eventually respond to Universal Epic Universe with something. It turns out that Disney’s something is an entire theme park in a new, thriving region.