Walt Disney announced plans on Wednesday to open a Disney theme park in United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi in collaboration with regional developer Miral Group, representing its first major new theme park in nearly a decade and its first in the Middle East.

The Department of Tourism Abu Dhabi has welcomed Walt Disney Co’s just announced plans to develop its first Middle East theme park at Yas Island. It’s a landmark project that solidifies the Emirate’s position as a leading global tourism destination, it says. The project represents a major investment in the region’s tourism infrastructure.