Artist concept/Image: Yas Island website
The Walt Disney Company’s highly anticipated Disneyland Abu Dhabi, the first Disney theme park in the Middle East, is starting to take shape on the iconic leisure destination of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, with fresh visual evidence of the project’s future location shared publicly for the first time.
Disney CEO Robert “Bob” Iger posted photos on social media this week showing himself walking the undeveloped coastal terrain of the planned site, confirming the resort’s waterfront positioning and offering industry observers a clearer sense of where the project will rise. “Walking the site of what will one day be Disneyland Abu Dhabi! Lots of work ahead, but all very exciting!” Iger wrote, underscoring both the magnitude of the build and Disney’s commitment to the region.
While Disney has not disclosed precise geospatial coordinates, coverage from local outlets suggests the northern sector of Yas Island — adjacent to prime beachfront — is the likely development area, placing the new park alongside some of the emirate’s most successful entertainment assets.
A landmark global first for Disney
The development forms part of a landmark agreement announced in May 2025 between Disney and Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences. Under the partnership, Miral will fully develop and build the resort, while Disney and its Imagineering team will lead creative design and provide operational oversight. Miral will also operate the resort once completed.
The project will be Disney’s seventh theme park resort globally and its first in the Middle East. According to the original announcement, the waterfront resort will blend Disney’s globally recognised characters, attractions and storytelling with Abu Dhabi’s cultural identity, contemporary architecture and coastal setting. The destination is positioned to serve visitors from across the Middle East and Africa, India, Asia and Europe, leveraging the UAE’s role as a global aviation and tourism hub.
“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,” Iger had said earlier May 2025. “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. Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati – an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come.”
Yas Island has already established itself as a cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s leisure strategy, hosting internationally branded attractions including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld. The addition of Disneyland Abu Dhabi is expected to significantly scale up the island’s profile, reinforcing its status as an integrated entertainment cluster with global reach.
From a development perspective, the project reflects Abu Dhabi’s broader long-term tourism and diversification ambitions. The UAE sits within a four-hour flight of roughly one-third of the world’s population and is home to one of the largest airline hub networks globally, with more than 120 million passengers transiting through Abu Dhabi and Dubai annually. Industry observers expect the new Disney resort to act as a catalyst for further investment across hospitality, retail, transport and supporting infrastructure.
While no opening date has been confirmed, large-scale Disney parks typically follow extended design and construction timelines. With site identification now clearer, attention is likely to turn to formal groundworks, phased development plans and future announcements around attractions, themed hotels and guest experiences.
Once completed, Disneyland Abu Dhabi is expected to feature signature Disney entertainment, themed accommodation, dining and retail concepts, and immersive storytelling designed to be, as per Iger, “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati”, adding another globally recognised anchor to Abu Dhabi’s evolving visitor economy.
Read: Yas Island sees 38 million visits, Saadiyat Island grows 10% in 2024: Miral
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