Disney to Build New Theme Park in Abu Dhabi

The entertainment company Disney revealed its new theme park and resort development on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi through a partnership with Miral which operates as a destination and experiences company. The new theme park resort will become Disney’s seventh location while Miral will handle its complete development under Disney Imagineer supervision. The theme park will operate under a royalty-based model since Disney will not provide capital investment. The new development stands independently from Disney’s $60 billion theme park investment strategy to create an immersive experience through modern architectural and technological integration. The company’s CEO Bob Iger confirmed that design work has started but the project does not have a scheduled opening date and he predicts a five-year construction period. The company released its Q2 earnings which showed its experiences segment including parks cruises and resorts achieved 6% revenue growth while generating 37% of 2024 revenue and 60% of operating income. The UAE has been the focus of Disney expansion since 2017 through retail operations and stage productions including “The Lion King.” Iger highlighted the stability of Disney’s experiences business sector despite current macroeconomic challenges.