The attraction is set to be situated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island.
Currently, Disney have six existing resorts scattered across the globe though this latest development is set to be completely different from the others. Not only has it been described as its most tech-centric park to date, but it is also a collaboration between Walt Disney and local leisure and entertainment company Miral.
Founded in May 2011, Miral is responsible for the development of Yas Island and already operates SeaWorld and Warner bros World which is soon due to receive a Harry Potter-themed park.
Bob Iger, CEO of 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.
‘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.’
Disney’s first-ever park (Disneyland) opened in 1955 in California and was followed by Walt Disney World in Florida in 1971. What’s more, international expansion began in 1983 with a park in Tokyo; Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, then came Hong Kong in 2005 and the most recent park in Shanghai in 2016.
The announcement of the new park came as part of Disney’s latest quarterly earnings. During a call with analysts outlining the financial results, Hugh Johnston, chief financial officer, explained Disney’s international theme park attendance ‘has not gotten back to pre-COVID levels, but it is still in the double digits’.
However, he added that ‘the good news is we’re clearly more than making up for it with domestic attendance.’
During the same announcement it was revealed that the Disney+ streaming platform received 1.4 million customers during the first three months of 2025.
As it stands no dates have been revealed as to when the development will be completed, but Disney have released the concept art for the new park which can be viewed in the video above.
Photo by Travis Gergen via UnSplash
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