This collaborative project between The Walt Disney Company and Miral Group will develop Disneyland Abu Dhabi as an amusement park in Abu Dhabi. Miral will finance, construct, and operate the park, while creative development will be managed by Disney Imagineering. Revenues generated from park operations will be subject to royalties by Disney.
This park is expected to have a storyline of blending Disney’s characters and stories with the cultural flavor of Abu Dhabi. Concept art shows a reimagined castle at the center with the appearance of a crystal sculpture, as opposed to traditional Disney castles.
Why Abu Dhabi?
Home to Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World, Yas Island collected 34 million visits last year in 2023. From its place within a four-hour flight radius from about a third of the global population, the island’s attractions can now boast of 500 million potential visitors.
According to Disney CEO Bo bIger, the project is a strategic broadening of the cultural and creative potential of the area . This is consistent with the overarching focus of Disney within its experiences division, which posted a 6 percent revenue increase and sold advanced bookings .
What to Expect
Disneyland Abu Dhabi will probably be one of the most technologically innovative parks run by Disney, set to feature themed attractions, accommodations, and dining inspired by Disney’s narratives and locations to the region’s local heritage . The park, aimed to be futuristic with advanced technology, shall be culturally-meaningful for locals, thereby making this park the most technology-advanced park of the company ever .
There has been no confirmed date set for the opening as yet, but the design and planning phase has started with a typical construction time of five years .
Disney is Expanding in the Middle East
Disney penetrated even deeper into the Middle East territory. Disney created the “Disney: The Castle” which features themed lands inspired by the movies such as Encanto, Frozen, and Aladdin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia . The temporary experience attracted over 120,000 guests around the region, which just showed how much the region loves Disney magic.
It also enhanced Disney’s presence in the region with the launch of Disney+ in the Middle East in 2022, hence bringing Disney’s massive catalog of movies and series into the hands of families across the region .
Disneyland Abu Dhabi is the latest milestone on Disney’s global journey, bringing its iconic experiences to yet another new audience. It is intended to be a completely unique and immersive experience for the world’s visitors by combining Disney storytelling with Emirati culture.
For more information about this exciting development, read the official announcement by Reuters.