Disney CEO Bob Iger Explains Why Disney Chose Abu Dhabi for Its Next Theme Park Resort

14 days ago in "Disneyland Abu Dhabi"

Posted: Wednesday May 7, 2025 8:53am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Following the announcement of a new Disney theme park resort planned for Abu Dhabi, Disney CEO Bob Iger offered additional insight into the decision during the company" Q2 2025 earnings call.

Disney Abu Dhabi Concept Art

Speaking to investors, Iger emphasized that the choice to expand into the United Arab Emirates was the result of a detailed evaluation of regional demand and long-term opportunity.

"We did study the region very carefully, and we know we had many opportunities," Iger said. "Obviously, building a theme park in a location is a huge endorsement of the location."

He pointed out that hundreds of millions of people across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia are income-qualified but face long and expensive travel to reach Disney's existing destinations. The Abu Dhabi resort addresses this gap directly by bringing Disney experiences closer to those audiences.

Iger also referenced the fast sell-out of the upcoming Disney cruise ship based in Singapore as further proof of demand:

"We put it on sale just a few months ago… sold out in a matter of days. There is clearly a desire for consumers to engage with Disney in a wide region."

He made it clear that Disney does not see this new park as cannibalizing attendance at its existing resorts.

Iger pointed to several factors that made Abu Dhabi stand out:

Tourism scale and accessibility: Over 125 million passengers are expected to travel through Dubai and Abu Dhabi this year. Abu Dhabi projects 39 million annual visitors by 2030.
Cultural and creative alignment: Disney was drawn to the region's "appreciation of quality and innovation, and appreciation of the arts and creativity."
Partnership with Miral: Iger said the relationship with Miral developed quickly, with both companies sharing a focus on legacy and forward-thinking innovation.
Existing infrastructure: Iger cited major local investments like the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and other significant architectural projects as signs of Abu Dhabi's long-term vision.

"Everywhere we looked, we were convinced that this was a perfect place for us," Iger said. "Of all the places that we could choose from, there did not seem to be any place that is better than this."

In terms of structure, the resort will operate under a licensing model. Miral will fully fund and operate the resort, while Disney retains ownership of its intellectual property. Disney will lead creative design and development, and will have a permanent presence within the operating team to maintain the standards expected of a Disney theme park.

"This is essentially a license arrangement with considerable involvement from us," Iger said. "We will have employees embedded in the organization with them, to help them operate a Disney theme park at the quality level that everybody's used to."

The upcoming resort on Yas Island will be developed by Miral and designed by Disney Imagineers. It will be Disney's seventh global theme park destination and the first in the Middle East. A timeline for construction has not been announced.

Disney Abu Dhabi Concept Art

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Disgruntled Walt1 day ago

You need the Premier Pass!

lentesta1 day ago

We did an entire Patreon show on it! Jim Shull, who’s been working with Miral for 18 months, was on.

TXRob2 days ago

So odd - this news hasn’t been mentioned on Len Testas podcast for 2 weeks now. Seems like newsworthy item?! @lentesta

Robbiem2 days ago

I can certainly see some families from the UK saying lets give Abu Dhabi a try next year rather than Orlando, especially in the winter months. It also helps that AD is a couple of hours closer than Orlando as well.

abaker19753 days ago

I think Yas Island is going to become a bigger draw for people from the UK/Europe for a Theme Park holiday. With Disney joining the line up I can see Yas Island attracting some people away from Orlando.

Sir_Cliff4 days ago

100%. When I was younger, Singapore was the most common stop and, if not, it would be Hong Kong or somewhere else in South-East Asia (I remember a long, hot layover in Bangkok years ago). Now, the Gulf carriers dominate the market and there is a lot of competition. One of the main stadiums in Melbourne was Etihad Stadium for a long time, though, interestingly enough, Disney has been paying for it to be branded Marvel Stadium for the past decade or so. Qatar Airlines in particular has been very aggressive in expanding into Australia and has just signed an agreement with Virgin Australia. This is where I could see stopovers including Disneyland Abu Dhabi being part of Etihad's pitch to customers as I get the impression they have been falling behind Qatar and Emirates.

Robbiem4 days ago

Virtually every Aussie I know goes home from the UK via the gulf now rather than Hong Kong or Singapore so there is a lot of competition between the various gulf carriers (Etihad, Qatar, Emirates, Saudia etc). A couple of days break at Disneyland will be a good incentive to travel via AD rather than the other hubs

Sir_Cliff4 days ago

Just on the layover point, if you're going between Australia and Europe you more or less don't have a choice but to stop somewhere. Other than a Perth-London flight, the closest to a non-stop flight from the east coast (where most people live) is Sydney-Istanbul. Those flights are brutal (usually around 24 hours with the stopover), so it has become increasingly common to break it up with a few nights somewhere. I know I now do this on the way back to Europe. So, this is certainly a market they would be wise to consider for the resort, particularly as Etihad is well-established flying between Australia and Europe with a stop in Abu Dhabi. It would be win-win for Etihad and Miral to work out deals that both make Etihad a more attractive choice for those flights and Yas Island an attractive break for a few nights on the way there or back.