Who Is Disneyland Abu Dhabi For? A Look at Key Source Markets and Flights

The announcement of Disneyland Abu Dhabi on Yas Island last week marked the first new Disney park unveiled since 2010 and the first-ever in the Middle East. Strategically placed, execs believe the resort could open the brand up to half a billion potential customers.

“The UAE in many respects is the crossroads of the world,” Disney CEO Bob Iger told CNBC following the announcement. “About 500 million people that are income-qualified, meaning they can afford to visit one of our parks, live within a four-hour flight from here.”

A New Hub For Disney

Geographically, Abu Dhabi bridges the East and West, sitting between Disneyland Paris and the major Asian resorts in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

In 2024, the capital’s top source markets were India, China, the UK, Russia and Saudi Arabia, according to Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. When neighboring Dubai’s tourism footprint is factored in, the broader GCC, South Asia, and Western Europe emerge as dominant feeder markets.

The appeal of Yas Island, already home to Warner Bros. World, Ferrari World, and other major attractions, is rapidly scaling. “We saw a 40% increase in international stays at Yas Island hotels last year,” Rotana Hotels COO Eddy Touous told Dubai Eye Radio last week. “Abu Dhabi is no longer a seasonal destination. [Rotana had] over 82% hotel occupancy in 2024, and demand has become year-round.”

Rotana is an Abu Dhabi-born hotel group with 16 hotels currently open in the capital.

Airlift and Flights

In 2024, Abu Dhabi Airports, operator of the emirate’s five commercial airports, saw 29.4 million passengers through its airports, a 28.1% increase compared to the 22.9 million passengers in 2023, according to a press release.

Here are some of the main countries located approximately four hours or less from the UAE:

Middle East:

• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar
• Oman
• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Jordan
• Lebanon

South Asia:

Central Asia & Caucasus:

• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Georgia
• Uzbekistan
• Kazakhstan

Africa:

Europe:

For Etihad, the busiest short-haul routes last year were those between Abu Dhabi and Delhi, Mumbai, Cairo, Jeddah and Karachi, according to data consolidated by AvBench.

While the new Disneyland is many years away, it’s worth looking at what Etihad has been doing recently in terms of new routes. Last November, the airline introduced 10 new routes from Abu Dhabi to Atlanta, Hong Kong, Algiers, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Krabi, Phnom Penh, Taipei Tunis, and Medan.

While 7 out of the 10 new destinations Etihad was launching were in Asia, it was surprising that India wasn’t on the list. 

Later, the airline mentioned that the announcement of 10 new routes was a testament to its recent success in India, despite no Indian destinations being added to the list. The airline had highlighted that Atlanta has a huge Indian market.

According to Arik De, the airline’s chief commercial officer , Etihad has seen 110% capacity growth in India since 2023.