Disneyland Abu Dhabi on Yas Island “would never work” as an outdoor theme park, Miral’s group CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi has said.
Via Forbes, Al Zaabi has confirmed that the planned park – to be developed, built and operated by Miral – “would never work” outdoors.
“We know from our experience that an outdoor theme park would never work,” he told the Middle East’s local edition of Forbes.
Miral already oversees three major theme parks on Yas Island – Warner Bros. World, SeaWorld and Ferrari World. All of these are indoor attractions due to Abu Dhabi’s hot desert climate.
The group also operates the Yas Waterworld water park.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi “will be a hybrid, it will be indoor and outdoor”, Al Zaabi told Forbes Middle East.
“At this stage, it is too early to decide, but I reckon a good percentage of it will be indoor,” he added.
New Disney park “will be indoor and outdoor”
In a recent interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company is “not talking about anything small or anything in a box”, adding that the Abu Dhabi project will be “a significant theme park”.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi was announced in May. It will be the world’s sixth Disney resort, and will combine Disney’s iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s culture, shorelines and architecture.
Walt Disney Imagineering will lead the creative design for the new destination, also providing operational oversight.
When it was announced, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said the new Disney resort “will be the most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio”.
Iger said the resort will be “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati”.
Earlier this month, Al Zaabi said similar. He told Gulf News: “This destination will be authentically Emirati in style, but fully Disney in experience.
“We want visitors to feel the culture of the UAE while enjoying the magic of Disney.”
Images courtesy of Disney and Miral
