On May 7, The Walt Disney Company announced that it will build a full-scale resort on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. This will be Disney’s seventh global resort and one of the largest international projects it has undertaken in recent years. The response was immediate and polarized. Supporters welcomed the expansion. Critics raised concerns, especially about human rights. Some accused Disney of abandoning its values. Others questioned whether the company still respects its most loyal fans.
These reactions call for careful thought. The decision to open a park in the United Arab Emirates involves strategic, cultural, and ethical considerations. As someone who follows Disney for both its entertainment and its global influence, I believe this move deserves measured analysis, not emotional reaction.
Disney is developing the resort in partnership with Miral, the company behind other major attractions on Yas Island, such as Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World. Miral will handle funding and operations, while Disney Imagineering will lead creative development. The goal is to create a park that reflects Disney’s storytelling and incorporates local cultural elements. More than 500 million people live within a short flight of the site. For a global entertainment company, that kind of access makes sense.
Some fans in the United States may wonder what this means for the domestic parks. The answer is straightforward. Parks in Anaheim and Orlando are operating near capacity. International growth provides financial relief. A successful resort abroad can fund innovation and help Imagineers test new technology that may benefit the U.S. parks. A stronger international portfolio may also ease the pressure to keep raising prices for American guests. In this way, overseas expansion supports the long-term health of the domestic parks. Disney has emphasized over and over that they are investing $30 billion in the Domestic parks over the next decade.
Inclusivity Concerns
Many concerns raised about this project go beyond logistics. LGBTQ+ supporters have rightly questioned how Disney can promote inclusivity while building in a country where queer identity is criminalized. These concerns are serious. They speak to larger questions about integrity and the role of values in global business. If Disney presents itself as a company that welcomes everyone, then it must be willing to confront difficult questions about where and how it operates.
This deserves an honest response. Disney already works in countries where laws and norms differ significantly from those in the United States. The company has learned to operate with consistency in its internal practices, even when external conditions are different. In places like China and Japan, public displays of inclusivity may be limited, but behind the scenes, inclusive hiring, training, and workplace culture remain central to Disney’s operations.
It is also important to recognize that LGBTQ+ Disney fans live in the Middle East. They face real challenges, but they exist and deserve to be welcomed as guests to a Disney resort. Refusing to build in the region would not improve the legal environment. It would only remove access to a space that might offer joy, belonging, or escape to people who have few other options. Sometimes presence alone creates the possibility for quiet progress.
This is also where some of the backlash starts to break down. A number of conservative Disney fans, who have spent recent years accusing the company of being too political, are now calling for a moral purity test. Their argument is not consistent. It shifts depending on what serves the narrative. Many of these voices are less concerned about ethics and more interested in attacking the company from another angle.
The contradiction is easy to spot. These critics rarely engage with actual labor conditions or guest experiences in any meaningful way. They focus on headlines, not substance. If they were truly concerned about how Disney treats people, they would acknowledge that the company applies its core values around the world. The Five Keys; Safety, Courtesy, Show, Efficiency, and Inclusion, are not optional or adjusted based on region. They are baked into cast member training and guest service standards everywhere, including this new resort.
Opening a park in a culturally conservative country does not mean Disney abandons those principles. In fact, applying those standards in more challenging environments may be one of the most powerful ways the company can live out its values. Inclusive hiring, cast member support, and guest safety will remain central to the experience in Abu Dhabi, just as they are in Orlando or Paris. Building a resort in a culturally conservative area does not take away the tangible benefits that cast members receive world wide or the advocacy that Disney does in the United States.
The demand for moral purity, especially when it comes from voices that do not apply it consistently, limits the very impact they claim to care about. True inclusion is about extending reach, not shrinking it.
Business Risk
As far as business goes there is precedent for this kind of risk. Tokyo Disney was seen as uncertain when it launched. Shanghai faced political criticism. Disneyland Paris struggled financially for years. Yet all three became critical to Disney’s global success. Each introduced creative tools and design innovations that strengthened the brand worldwide. The Abu Dhabi resort will face unique challenges, but Disney has proven that it knows how to navigate unfamiliar terrain and still deliver something meaningful.
This expansion should be seen for what it is. It’s a way to bring Disney storytelling to new audiences, foster cross-cultural experiences, and support the continued development of the parks fans already love. Sustainable growth requires a forward-looking approach and progress often brings discomfort. That is part of the process, especially when working in regions with different values and expectations.
I’ll even bring old Walt into the conversation. Walt Disney did not build his company on caution. He took risks, and played politics. He created spaces no one else imagined. Opening a resort in Abu Dhabi continues that tradition. The goal is to deliver Disney storytelling and creativity (and make money) in new places, despite the complex and challenging global landscape.
If Disney approaches the Abu Dhabi project with clarity, care, and consistency, it won’t dilute the company’s legacy but expand it. This is an opportunity to bring the Disney parks experience to a new part of the world, to welcome more people into the magic without sacrificing what has always made Disney and the theme parks special.
