By Melanie Swan, NCS
(NCS) — For a long time, Orlando has reigned as the world capital of theme parks — a place the place Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and numerous different points of interest have drawn hundreds of thousands of holiday makers.
But a challenger for the crown has emerged from an unlikely place: the deserts of the Arabian Gulf. In a vacation spot as soon as identified extra for oil wealth and camel racing than curler coasters, Abu Dhabi is constructing an adrenaline-charged playground that might give Orlando a run for its cash.
And it simply landed the final weapon: Disney.
In May 2025, when Disney introduced its first new theme park in 15 years, it selected Abu Dhabi over different key theme park locations in California, Japan and even Orlando.
There was “no question,” says Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences. The UAE capital, already residence to Ferrari World, with the world’s quickest curler coaster; Warner Bros. World (constructed beneath license by NCS’s guardian firm, Warner Brothers Discovery); Yas Waterworld, an epic community of slides and swimming pools; and extra not too long ago, SeaWorld Yas Island Abu Dhabi. It’s clear the emirate is rising as the most critical challenger Orlando has ever confronted.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi, anticipated to open on Yas Island in the early 2030s, will likely be the firm’s most technologically superior park ever. Renderings present a shimmering, futuristic tower at its middle — extra carefully resembling Abu Dhabi’s gleaming skyline than a conventional European fortress. It will likely be the first Disney resort set on an accessible shoreline, situated simply 20 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi.
The theme park will likely be developed, constructed and operated by Miral, the Abu Dhabi firm behind Yas Island’s roster of different points of interest. Disney Imagineers will deal with artistic design and operational oversight, ensuring the new park is in protecting with Disney’s model.
Miral’s CEO, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, says demand already exists: 2024 noticed a 20% rise in theme park attendance on Yas Island. And enlargement is already in the works — a Harry Potter–themed land at Warner Bros. World, extra record-breaking rides at Ferrari World, new themed inns, and even two seashores alongside Yas Bay Waterfront.
‘This isn’t about constructing one other theme park’
Abu Dhabi’s location, a medium-haul flight away from each Europe and Asia, and comparatively brief hop away from India, means hundreds of thousands of potential guests are inside comparatively simple attain.
“This isn’t about building another theme park,” Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Abu Dhabi’s director common of tourism, advised NCS. “It’s about defining Abu Dhabi as a global destination where culture, entertainment and luxury intersect.”
Abu Dhabi’s rise comes as Orlando and US tourism extra broadly face headwinds. International journey to the US has slowed recently, with prolonged visa processes, unpredictable immigration checks, and heightened safety scrutiny all blamed for deterring guests.
Abu Dhabi at present presents a smoother various to the US. Many nationalities can enter the UAE visa-free or with an e-visa, and the capital’s airport — at present being expanded — has a fame for quick border processing and simple connections.
Despite wider regional tensions, Abu Dhabi continues to place itself as a secure, dependable tourism hub. The UAE ranked extremely on the 2024 Global Peace Index. “In times of uncertainty, people look for destinations they can trust,” Al Geziry added.
Once on Yas Island, guests expertise indoor, climate-controlled points of interest, shorter traces, and a degree of sophistication not sometimes related to theme parks.
“For families used to theme parks in the US or Europe, Abu Dhabi is a revelation,” says Steven Hopkinson, a British expatriate residing in Abu Dhabi. “You don’t spend hours waiting in the heat, and everything feels more refined, more accessible, which is such a luxury when you’re with small children.”
Orlando might have Florida sunshine, however in summer season it additionally has humidity and crowds. Temperatures nonetheless soar in Abu Dhabi, however its climate-controlled indoor parks hold the expertise constant it doesn’t matter what’s occurring outdoors.
Warner Bros. World and Ferrari World are totally enclosed, with air-conditioned walkways and eating places, and even SeaWorld’s aquariums and animal experiences are beneath cowl.
“Compared to places like Florida, it’s a different level of comfort,” stated Ahmed El Khoury, a Palestinian expatriate and father of three.
‘Disney made a smart choice’
Despite the comparisons, Abu Dhabi isn’t positioning itself as a direct rival to Orlando — it’s aiming to be one thing extra. The emirate sees its theme parks as a part of a greater portfolio of points of interest, alongside cultural landmarks, luxurious inns, pristine seashores, and desert adventures.
A 15-minute drive from Yas Island, Saadiyat Island is residence to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a franchised outpost of the well-known Paris artwork museum, which welcomed 1.4 million guests final 12 months, 84% from overseas. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum are each beneath building, including to a cultural district that will likely be one in every of the area’s most concentrated hubs of artwork and heritage.
“Abu Dhabi’s unique appeal lies in the diversity of our tourism offering,” Al Geziry added. “For thrill-seekers, now we have record-breaking curler coasters and dune bashing in the desert. For tradition lovers, historic websites like Al Ain Oasis and establishments like the Saadiyat museums. And for luxurious vacationers, world-class eating, personal island resorts, and high-end purchasing.
“Where else can you start your day under the Louvre’s iconic rain-of-light dome and end it in the immersive, story-driven worlds of Warner Bros. World or Ferrari World?”
Still, not everybody is satisfied that Disney’s enlargement into the Middle East is a positive wager.
“The region has seen its share of false starts,” says Dennis Speigel, founding father of the International Theme Park Services consultancy, evaluating it to neighboring Dubai’s patchy document with theme park enlargement ambitions in the mid-2010s. “Several of them struggled for profitability in their first decade.”
Spiegel believes Abu Dhabi is completely different. “Disney made a smart choice. The infrastructure, safety, and existing leisure developments create an ideal entry point,” he advised NCS earlier this 12 months. “It’s a much more controlled and calculated move.”
Under its Tourism Strategy 2030, Abu Dhabi goals to develop annual guests from 24 million in 2023 to greater than 39 million by the finish of the decade. With Disneyland as a centerpiece, these targets might be surpassed. The metropolis’s inhabitants has already grown from 2.7 million in 2014 to greater than 4.1 million right this moment, a reflection of its rising profile as a regional hub.
Yas Island alone has been reworked in the area of a decade from a largely undeveloped stretch of sand to a self-contained resort vacation spot, full with golf programs, marinas, a mall, greater than 160 eating places, and a cluster of high-end inns.
Orlando’s head begin stays formidable — it nonetheless presents a number of Disney and Universal parks, has a long time of name loyalty, and an infrastructure constructed to deal with tens of hundreds of thousands of vacationers yearly.
But Abu Dhabi is catching up quick. Its mixture of frictionless journey, year-round consolation, cutting-edge points of interest, and a cultural scene that provides depth to the expertise provides Abu Dhabi its personal distinctive promoting level, probably providing a mannequin for the subsequent technology of theme park capital.
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