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Disney confirms Abu Dhabi theme park plans 'underway' despite regional tensions
In a letter to shareholders released alongside the company’s latest quarterly earnings, the project was addressed directly
- PUBLISHED: Fri 8 May 2026, 4:16 PM
The Walt Disney company has confirmed that plans for its first Middle East theme park — Disneyland Abu Dhabi — is firmly on track, with the "strategic logic" of the project unchanged despite recent regional instability.
In a letter to shareholders released alongside the company’s latest quarterly earnings signed by Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and CFO Hugh Johnston, the project was addressed directly. It is the first time that the entertainment giant has publicly confirmed its commitment to the development since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war on February 28.
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“We have multiple experience expansions underway using a capital-light model,” the letter noted. “Major new theme parks are necessarily long-term in nature given the lead time of these projects, and this investment approach has consistently benefited our business.”
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Disney states that the “strategic logic” for their park in Abu Dhabi remains unchanged and that theme parks take a long-term view.
Announced in May 2025, the project marks the first Disney theme park in the Middle East and Disney’s seventh globally, following its parks in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Abu Dhabi-based company Miral will oversee the development and operations of the park, while Disney will lead creative design and attraction development, ensuring a world-class guest experience.
What's next?
In March this year, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi Group CEO of Miral posted on social media platform X about his meeting with Tasia Filippatos after she took on a new role in leading Disney Parks International. “Insightful discussions on partnership, innovation, and what’s ahead for Disneyland Abu Dhabi on Yas Island,” he wrote. “We at the Miral Group are excited for what is next.”
In January, Walt Disney Company’s chief executive, Robert 'Bob' Iger, shared the first look of the site in an Instagram post. "Walking the site of what will one day be Disneyland Abu Dhabi! Lots of work ahead, but all very exciting!" he wrote alongside photos of himself surveying the coastal landscape in the UAE.
When the park was announced, Bob Iger had forecast that the resort in Abu Dhabi will be “the most advanced and interactive destination” in the company’s portfolio and that the location of the park is “incredibly unique – anchored by a beautiful waterfront, which will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways.”
Construction is still in its early phases, with formal groundbreaking and detailed project timelines expected to unfold over the course of 2026 and beyond. Industry estimates suggest the park could open in the early 2030s, in line with typical Disney development cycles.
Although the park is still in its designing phase, Iger has said that the park will be “distinctly Emirati” while also keeping the Disney flavour intact.
