Walt Disney Company has announced its first-ever theme park in the Middle East.
According to CNN, Disney on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, revealed the development of the first theme park in 15 years in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The Disneyland Abu Dhabi resort will be the first Disney theme park in the Middle East and Disney’s seventh global resort destination.
Disney already has six theme parks in North America, Europe and Asia, with the most recent one opened in Shanghai, China, in 2016.
The announcement came shortly after the company recorded strong second-quarter earnings.
‘Thrilling moment’ for Walt Disney Company:
The CEO of Disney, Bob Iger, has expressed enthusiasm for the development of a new theme park in the Middle Eastern region.
He stated, “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,” Iger added.
The new theme park will be built in collaboration with Miral, a company from Abu Dhabi, that will be responsible for building and running the new theme park while the Disney Imagineers will help in creative design and operational oversight.
Miral's boss, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, said bringing a Disney theme park resort to the area marked a "milestone in our journey to further advance the island's position as a global destination for exceptional entertainment and leisure."
Notably, Iger said that they are not announcing any date yet, but the creative planning and design will typically take between 18 months and two years, and the development will require approximately five years.
