Wed, 07 May 2025

Wed, 07 May 2025 Disney to open theme park in the Middle East

The company's seventh park will be on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
Walt Disney has announced plans to build its first theme park in the Middle East, specifically on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The 10-square-mile resort will be a collaboration between Disney and local leisure company Miral, which also operates SeaWorld and Warner Bros World on the island. The project is seen as a significant gateway for tourism due to the region's proximity to one-third of the world's population and its status as the largest global airline hub. Disney CEO Robert Iger described the plans as "thrilling" and said the park will be an authentic Disney experience with distinct Emirati touches. Miral's chairman, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, praised the project as a milestone in developing Yas Island into a global destination for entertainment and leisure. The new resort is part of Disney's international expansion, which has seen parks open in Tokyo (1983), Paris (1992), Hong Kong (2005), and Shanghai (2016). In related news, Disney reported better-than-expected results for the first three months of 2025, with revenue up by 7% to $23.6 billion.
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