When Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse a century ago, it is unlikely he realised the scale of the empire he was creating. Today Disney is worth around US$190bn and its activities span merchandise, television and film production, sports and entertainment streaming – and the world’s most visited theme parks.
In 2025, Disney’s revenue was US$94.4bn, almost 40% of which was generated by its theme parks and experiences division. Disney is hoping that its latest, and arguably most bold, expansion will increase that share.
This will be Disney’s first predominantly indoor theme park
Disney’s May 2025 announcement that it plans to open its first-ever Middle East theme park resort on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island marks a landmark moment for both the company and the region. While precise details remain scant, the scale of the project, its waterfront location and the partners involved suggest a development that could surpass Disney’s existing resorts in both ambition and economic impact.
Distinctive strategy
Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be the company’s seventh resort destination worldwide (there are two in both China and the US, one in France and another in Japan). It will be developed and operated by Miral, the Abu Dhabi-based destination specialist behind the Yas Island attractions of Ferrari World, Warner Bros World, Waterworld and SeaWorld. Walt Disney Imagineering will lead the creative design and provide operational oversight, while Miral will fund, build, own and manage the resort under a licensing and royalty model.
It is a structure that is widely seen as a win-win. Disney expands its global footprint without committing capital to construction, while benefitting from Miral’s operational expertise in the Middle East. For Miral, the partnership brings one of the world’s most valuable entertainment brands to an island that has already become one of the most concentrated theme park destinations on the planet.
Abu Dhabi’s climate has shaped Miral’s distinctive strategy: with the exception of Yas Waterworld, all its major theme parks are wholly or mainly indoors. Miral CEO Mohamed Al Zaabi has confirmed that Disney’s Abu Dhabi park will follow this model, making it Disney’s first predominantly indoor theme park, although it will not necessarily be completely enclosed.
Because indoor parks allow for year-round operation, they mitigate the hospitality sector’s seasonal swings. They also offer the potential for intricate theming, which outdoor parks exposed to the elements struggle to match.
‘A destination-grade attraction like this changes travel behaviour’
Global player
Although no official opening date for Disneyland Abu Dhabi has been confirmed, references to a ‘vision for the next five years’ for Yas Island suggest the park is unlikely to open before 2030.
Analysts estimate that, once it is fully operational, Disneyland Abu Dhabi could realistically attract 10 to 15 million visitors annually, with upside potential if multiple parks and hotels open from day one. By comparison, Shanghai Disneyland welcomed 14.7 million visitors in 2024, Disneyland Paris saw around 15.8 million, while 49.1 million visited Walt Disney World in Florida.
Crucially, the new park will serve vast markets that currently lack easy access to a Disney resort, from India and Saudi Arabia to Africa and Eastern Europe. The UAE is a maximum four-hour flight for roughly one-third of the global population.
From a tourism perspective, the impact is structural rather than incremental. ‘A destination-grade attraction like this changes travel behaviour,’ says Urooj Khan, director and ESG assurance lead of KPMG Lower Gulf. ‘Visitors stay longer, spend more and increasingly return.
‘It also strengthens the UAE’s transition from a stopover destination to a place people actively plan holidays around. Over time, this feeds into higher hotel occupancy, stronger retail and food and beverage performance, and greater investor confidence in leisure-led developments.’
‘Projects of this scale tend to act as economic anchors’
Disney’s parks and experiences division is one of its most profitable segments, with major resorts typically generating several billion dollars a year. Even on conservative assumptions, a mature Disneyland Abu Dhabi could deliver annual revenues in the low single-digit billions.
‘Projects of this scale tend to act as economic anchors,’ Kahn explains. ‘In the short term, they generate significant employment during construction and development. Over the longer term, they support a wide ecosystem of jobs across hospitality, retail, entertainment, logistics, marketing, technology and professional services. Many of these roles sit outside the park itself, which means the economic benefit is spread more broadly across the UAE.’
The long game
There are, of course, risks. Theme parks require long payback periods and sustained investment, and global tourism remains vulnerable to economic and geopolitical shocks. Expectations will also be exceptionally high for what Disney has described as its most technologically advanced park.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi will fill a geographic gap in Disney’s global map and enhance Yas Island’s position as one of the world’s most ambitious entertainment destinations. Meanwhile for the UAE, it represents another step in its transformation from oil-rich state to diversified economy and global tourism destination.
The finer details may still be emerging, but the direction is unmistakable: Disney’s Middle East debut is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched theme park developments of the next decade.
