Disney theme park for United Arab Emirates next, with plans for Abu Dhabi site unveiled

Abu Dhabi developer to fund project on Yas Island, already home to other amusement parks, SeaWorld and a water park

Reading Time:1 minute

An artist’s rendering shows a Disney theme park resort which the Walt Disney Company and developer Miral plan to construct in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:44am, 8 May 2025

Disney will build its seventh theme park, this one in the United Arab Emirates, the entertainment company said on May 7.

The waterfront resort will be built on Yas Island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, already home to Formula One’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Ferrari and Warner Bros amusement parks, SeaWorld and a water park.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. Home to 9 million people, it has leveraged its long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways to bring in more tourists over the years. A real-estate boom and the city’s highest-ever tourism numbers have made Dubai a destination as well as a layover.

Disney and Miral, the Abu Dhabi developer overseeing the project, hope to capitalise on the 120 million airline passengers that travel through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

Abu Dhabi is also home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and there are more museums currently under construction. Photo: AP

While long viewed as more conservative than the beaches and raucous nightlife in neighbouring Dubai, Abu Dhabi also is home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and there are more museums currently under construction.