Miral's Long Game: From Sand to Disneyland Abu Dhabi

Fifteen years ago, Yas Island was a bare strip of Abu Dhabi's coast. Today it is one of the busiest leisure destinations on the planet, and Disney picked it for its newest resort.

In May 2025, Disney and Miral announced Disneyland Abu Dhabi. It will be Disney's seventh resort destination worldwide, and its first new one in over a decade. Miral Group CEO Dr Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi called it a historic milestone and another step in Yas Island's rise. Disney chief executive Robert Iger described it as “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.”

authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.

Yas Island drew more than 38 million visits in 2024, up 10 percent. Saadiyat Island, also managed by Miral, grew at the same rate. Theme park and CLYMB visits rose 20 percent, international guests 40 percent, and Gulf visitors 56 percent. Hotels ran at 82 percent average occupancy, peaked at 90 percent in August, and raised average room rates 17 percent.

The visitor base is widening. Indian arrivals to Yas theme parks rose 44 percent, British 40 percent, Russian 29 percent, and Chinese 81 percent. Miral's destinations took more than 190 industry awards in 2024.

Miral is not just a developer. It creates, operates and markets entire destinations through three arms: Miral Destinations, Miral Experiences and Yas Asset Management. One body controls the rides, hotels, restaurants and marketing.

The build-out came in careful stages. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi opened in 2010 as the anchor. Yas Waterworld followed in 2013, themed around pearl diving, and has since won more than 65 industry accolades. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi opened in 2018 as a fully indoor park with 29 rides and attractions. SeaWorld Yas Island arrived in 2023, built around research and conservation, with one of the world's largest aquariums.

Yas Marina and Yas Bay Waterfront gave the island a social heart. Etihad Arena is the UAE's largest indoor venue. The Yas Marina Circuit stages the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix each year. In April 2024, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi opened on Saadiyat Island, a 17,000-square-metre home for digital art.

This summer, Yas Waterworld added 12 rides and slides, passing 57 attractions with a “Lost City” story. Miral says the expansion includes the world's first children's blaster ride. Al Zaabi said the additions would create “joyful and lasting memories for families and thrill-seekers.”

Still ahead are the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and a Harry Potter-themed area in Warner Bros. World. Miral is also courting business events with a six-part podcast series on MICE produced with the Digital Tourism Think Tank and the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi welcomed 4.8 million hotel guests in 2024. The UAE sits within a four-hour flight of roughly a third of the world's population, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports together handle around 120 million passengers a year.

Under the Disney deal, Miral will develop, build and operate the resort, while Disney's Imagineers lead the creative design. For a company that started with sand and ambition, that trust is the strongest verdict on fifteen years of work.