{"id":106755,"date":"2025-08-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/abu-dhabis-theme-park-push-gives-us-a-run-for-its-money\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T00:00:00","slug":"abu-dhabis-theme-park-push-gives-us-a-run-for-its-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2025\/08\/21\/abu-dhabis-theme-park-push-gives-us-a-run-for-its-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Abu Dhabi\u2019s theme park push gives US a run for its money"},"content":{"rendered":"

CNN<\/a><\/strong> spotlighted Abu Dhabi\u2019s rise as a global theme park hub<\/strong>, positioning it as a challenger to the US\u2019 Orlando after Disney announced<\/a> its first park in 15 years will open on Yas Island in the early 2030s. The UAE capital already hosts Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld \u2014 which unveiled a major expansion<\/a> on 1 July with 20 new rides and attractions \u2014 and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, with theme park visit rates climbing 20% in 2024. <\/p>\n

(**Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links <\/strong>to our background as well as external sources.)<\/p>\n

Behind Abu Dhabi\u2019s pull: <\/strong>The capital\u2019s location \u2014 within medium-haul reach of key markets in Europe, Asia, and India \u2014 and streamlined visa processes give it an edge over the US, where longer waits for visas and tighter entry checks have slowed inbound tourism. Yas Island\u2019s climate-controlled parks and shorter queues also provide a more comfortable alternative to Orlando\u2019s heat and congestion.<\/p>\n

REMEMBER- It\u2019s more than just theme parks. <\/strong>Abu Dhabi is building out a cultural hub on Saadiyat Island, anchored by the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi<\/a>, and the Zayed National Museum<\/a> under construction. Under its Tourism Strategy 2030, the emirate aims to raise annual visitors from 2023\u2019s 24 mn to more than 39 mn by decade\u2019s end. Tourism is forecast to contribute AED 62 bn to GDP in 2025<\/a>, rising to AED 90 bn by 2030.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Theme park attendance in the emirate climbed 20% in 2024<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":106756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1551],"tags":[1360,7,387,41],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-106755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uae-in-the-news","tag-abu-dhabi","tag-enterpriseam-uae","tag-tourism","tag-uae-in-the-news","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"f5820674-9922-4acf-969b-56bfd66db7e8","order":"9","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2025\/8\/1292.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"Abu Dhabi\u2019s theme park push gives US a run for its money","related_issue":[106740],"teaser":"Theme park attendance in the emirate climbed 20% in 2024","voice_url":"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/ent.news\/audio\/2025\/8\/.1eb8e467-754f-4223-8d05-a505bc16e286.mp3"},"yoast_head":"\nAbu Dhabi\u2019s theme park push gives US a run for its money - 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