New photos posted by Disney chief executive Bob Iger may offer the clearest indication yet of the exact location of Disneyland Abu Dhabi on Yas Island.
Iger shared two photos on Instagram on Sunday with the caption: “Walking the site of what will one day be Disneyland Abu Dhabi! Lots of work ahead, but all very exciting!”
In one of the photographs, a small jetty can be seen in the background. A similar structure appears on Google Maps on the northern edge of Yas Island, an area that has remained largely undeveloped.
In another photo, a Yas sign is visible in the background, which appears to be the same as the one around Yas North, along the E12 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Highway approaching the western entrance to the island.
Announced in May last year, Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be the seventh Disney theme park resort and the first in the Middle East. It will be the company’s first all-new location since Shanghai Disney Resort opened in 2016.
While an opening date has yet to be confirmed, the attraction will be built by Abu Dhabi developer Miral and “will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati”, Iger said at the launch announcement.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Josh D’Amaro told Reuters the project could take “a year or two to design, and another four to six years to build”.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi, described it as a “whole new world of imagination” and “an experience that will inspire generations across the region and the world”.
No park specifics have been announced. However, Disney has said there will be accommodation, dining and retail on site. A Disney hotel (or hotels) is also expected.
“Upon completion, the theme park resort will offer signature Disney entertainment, themed accommodation, unique dining and retail experiences, and storytelling in a way that celebrates both the heritage of Disney and the futuristic and cultural essence of Abu Dhabi,” the company said.
The UAE's first stand-alone Disney Store opened at Yas Mall in March. It was followed shortly by a flagship shop in Dubai Mall.
