• Disney plans to build its first theme park in the Middle East, located in Abu Dhabi.
• The park will be developed on Yas Island in collaboration with Miral Group.
• Disney aims to attract a broad range of visitors from the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.
• The project marks Disney's seventh global resort, enhancing its international growth strategy.
• A unique blend of Disney storytelling with Abu Dhabi's culture is promised for the new park.

Walt Disney Company has announced plans to open a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital, marking its seventh themed resort globally and its first in the Middle East. This waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a location already frequented by 34 million visitors in 2023, making it an ideal setting for attracting tourists from various regions, including Asia and Europe, according to BBC and CBS News.

The development is a collaboration with Miral, an Abu Dhabi-based developer known for its work on other local attractions such as Warner Bros. World and SeaWorld. Disney CEO Bob Iger described the upcoming resort as "authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati," highlighting the blending of iconic Disney elements with Abu Dhabi's vibrant culture and stunning architecture, as reported by India Times and HuffPost.

Miral will finance, build, and operate the park, while Disney's Imagineers will oversee the thematic design and operational management. This arrangement allows Disney to focus on creative aspects without investing capital directly, expecting to earn royalties from the park's revenue, as stated in sources including Business Insider and Reuters.

The announcement, made just before a visit from U.S. President Donald Trump to the region, reflects Disney's strategy to enter new markets while capitalizing on the region's large air traffic, with over 120 million airline passengers passing through nearby Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year, according to NYTimes and Newsweek.

Investments in the region's tourism infrastructure signal a growing commitment to the entertainment sector, underpinning the importance of this project not just for Disney but for the overall development of Abu Dhabi as a global entertainment hub, as noted by Channel News Asia and SCMP.