- When selecting its most recent theme park, Disney opted for the Middle East.
- EXPLORE FURTHER: The Asian location where a beloved British meal has become incredibly popular – and costs only half as much.
Boasting spectacular natural scenery and charming urban areas, Australia remains among the globe’s premier vacation spots — drawing about 7 million tourists in 2024 — yet it seems improbable for certain developments. visit a Disney theme park soon .
Australia, known as the land down under, boasts numerous native amusement parks, with Dreamworld being its largest, located in the nation's heartland. Gold Coast , yet the globe’s premier theme park brand seemingly remains uninterested in establishing a presence there.
Currently, Disney operates six theme parks worldwide, with their first ones located in the United States at the Disneyland Resort. California as well as Walt Disney World Resort, Florida - along with Disneyland Paris in Europe and three others Asia ; in Japan , Hong Kong and Shanghai.
With much excitement, a new Disney attraction debuted. mentioned last month, with proposals revealed for a Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
T The park, scheduled to open in the early 2030s, will mark the brand’s first significant new theme park venture in almost ten years and its inaugural location in the Middle East.
Disney enthusiasts in Australia, however, are likely to face this issue. spend a considerable amount of time waiting for something exciting on Australian soil , where executives have stated that they currently do not have any plans underway.
The reason being? Disney thinks Australia’s population isn’t large enough to sustain a profitable theme park—similarly to how Sega World was launched with great fanfare but ultimately flopped upon opening. Sydney In the 1990s, this may be all the evidence the brand requires.
A gaming hub referred to as 'Sydney's Disneyland,' Sega World launched at Darling Harbour’s Pavilion with an estimated cost exceeding AUS$80 million (£38 million approximately). However, by the start of the new millennium, this indoor theme park had shut down.
Even though Australia has a populace of roughly With over 26.5 million visitors, including an additional 7.6 million tourists, this remains relatively modest when contrasted with other locations that boast a Disney park. For instance, Greater Tokyo boasts a population of around 37 million.
In the past, there were plans for a park, including speculation about a Gold Coast location in the '90s. However, choosing China as part of their growth strategy became more appealing to the American company.


It appears that the Middle East has surpassed Australia. Although Abu Dhabi City boasts a population of around 2.5 million people, Yas Island — set to welcome the new park ‘in the early 2030s’ — saw over 34 million visitors in 2023, marking a 38 percent increase from the previous year, according to Miral.
'Our fascination with this region has remained constant—we aim to introduce Disney’s tales to a fresh generation of young enthusiasts here.' Josh D'Amaro, who leads Disney's Experience division as its chairman, mentioned to Reuters in May, adding, "Abu Dhabi was a perfect spot for our needs."
The Abu Dhabi-based leisure and entertainment company Miral, which is behind the development of Yas Island, will be financing, constructing, and running the resort.
The creative and technical professionals Disney's theme park designers, referred to as Imagineers, will be taking the lead. innovative development with operational supervision .
The theme park in Abu Dhabi marks Disney's first venture of this kind since Shanghai Disney Resort launched in 2016. This signifies an extension of the company’s strategy to ‘supercharge’ its Experiences division, encompassing its six international theme park destinations. cruise ship line as well as a family-oriented resort in Hawaii .
In 2023, Disney declared its intention to invest $60 billion over ten years. expand its Disney cruise ship fleet twofold and put money into its theme parks .
It also acquired a minor share in Epic Games , founder of the online gaming platform Fortnite .
Initially, Miral reached out to Disney to discuss their intentions regarding establishing a tourist center in Abu Dhabi , stated D'Amaro. That discussion prompted Disney executives to tour the potential theme park location last September.


"We got a glimpse of where our potential park might be located and engaged in some significant discussions about what this could mean for our ‘acceleration,’" D'Amaro stated.
Following his return visit to the area in February, D'Amaro stated that they had engaged in substantial talks which ultimately led to an agreement. The specifics regarding the size of Miral's investment were not revealed.
The Miral Group CEO, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, announced that adding a Disney theme park to Yas Island marks a 'significant landmark' in their mission to transform the island into an international entertainment hub. (Reported by Dawn Chmielewski from Los Angeles; Edited by Peter Henderson and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Read more
Posting Komentar