Abu Dhabi is getting its own Disneyland, but the theme park will be built and operated differently than its U.S. counterparts.
Disney announced on Wednesday that the new park would be coming to Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates capital, marking Disney’s first major attraction in the Middle East. Rather than being owned or operated by Disney, the new park — for now being called Disneyland Abu Dhabi — would be built in partnership with Miral, an Abu Dhabi-based developer which also manages the region’s existing theme parks, including Ferrari World and the indoor Warner Bros. World.
In a similar arrangement to the Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be “fully developed and built” by Miral, while Disney and its Imagineers will “will lead creative design and operational oversight,” according to Disney’s press release.
In a statement, Disney CEO Bob Iger said, “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.”
No opening date or potential attractions were revealed for the new theme park. The press release came with only two vague pieces on concept art.
Concept art for Disneyland Abu Dhabi (Disney)
If completed, the project would mark the first brand new Disney park since 2016’s Shanghai Disneyland, and the 13th Disney park worldwide (four in Florida, two each in California, France, and Japan, along with single parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai).
Disney’s association with Abu Dhabi and UAE developers, however, is also likely to spark controversy. The UAE is an authoritarian monarchy with a history of human rights abuses, according to a multitude of global watchdog groups.
Those violations could extend to the migrant workers likely to be used in building the Disney park, as Human Rights Watch stated in 2024 stated that workers in the UAE “experience serious labor abuses like wage theft, exorbitant recruitment fees, restrictions on job mobility, and passport confiscation.”