Disney CEO Iger stakes out beach site for Disneyland Abu Dhabi

Bob Iger has confirmed the site for Disneyland Abu Dhabi in an Instagram post picturing the Disney CEO wandering along the shoreline of Yas Island.

“Walking the site of what will one day be Disneyland Abu Dhabi! Lots of work ahead, but all very exciting,” the caption reads.

The photographs, which show the “Yas” welcome sign in the distance, appear to be taken at a location on the western end of Yas North, which is the only large undeveloped waterfront site remaining on the island.

Disney’s seventh theme park, which was announced with great fanfare last May, is expected to open by 2032. It will be built and operated by Abu Dhabi developer Miral, under a licensing arrangement with Disney.

Iger met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed last week, along with Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, to discuss progress on the project.

Joining Disney, Waldorf homes sell out on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island

First came Disney. Now the Waldorf is finding a home on Abu Dhabi’s fun-filled Yas Island with 133 luxury apartments being built by top UAE developer Aldar bearing the luxury hotel chain’s brand.

It was a matter of hours after Aldar launched sales of the project on Sunday that every one of the units at the Waldorf Astoria Residences Yas was snatched up – from garden apartments to penthouses – generating more than $230 million in sales, The National reports.

The success of Abu Dhabi’s first branded residence sale comes barely two weeks after Disney and the UAE’s Miral Group announced construction of the U.S. entertainment giant’s first theme park in the Middle East. Disney’s $10 billion outpost on Yas Island is expected to open sometime between 2030 and 2033.

Yas is already home to Abu Dhabi’s Formula One track, Etihad Stadium, Ferrari World, the Warner Brothers theme park, Sea World Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld, spread among a dozen or so five-star hotels.

Aldar said expatriates and international investors accounted for 76% of the Waldorf buyers, with the rest bought by UAE citizens. Customers from the U.K. and China led the charge.

“The sell-out of Waldorf Astoria Residences Yas marks a significant milestone for Aldar and highlights the attractiveness of Yas Island both as an investment destination and prime residential address,” Aldar CEO Jonathan Emery said.

Disney to open its first Middle East theme park in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island has been selected as the home for Disney’s seventh theme park – the first in the Middle East – in a major coup for the UAE capital.

The park will be built by Miral Group, with creative design and operational oversight led by Disney.

Announcing the agreement at the W Abu Dhabi Hotel on Wednesday alongside Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the park would be “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati, an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment that is at the crossroads of the world.”

Arab leaders have been courting Disney for years, with Iger reportedly saying in 2018 that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had made an “impassioned plea” for a theme park in the kingdom, which Disney dismissed at the time as a cultural mismatch.

Abu Dhabi signs key driverless transport deals at DriftX conference

Abu Dhabi has signed a flurry of deals with American companies as it aims to provide autonomous transportation options throughout the UAE.

At the inaugural two-day DriftX conference now underway on Yas Island, Archer Aviation, a U.S. developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, signed a framework agreement for “multi-hundred-million dollars” with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, setting a target date to start air taxi operations in 2025.

ADIO also signed an agreement with Archer competitor Joby Aviation to offer flying taxi services between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The agreement builds on a deal the California company has made with the Dubai aviation regulator for exclusive rights to operate air taxi services in Dubai.

Joby expects to start services as early as next year after its infrastructure partner landed $125 million in investment this month.

Meanwhile, Boston-based Regent Craft signed agreements with ADIO and the Department of Transport for the trial use of electric seagliders that can carry passengers between Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 25 minutes, less than half the time by car.