Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is expected to build around 1,000 new hotel rooms over the next five years ahead of the opening of its Disney theme park which it says is still on track despite the conflict in the region.
The man-made island is developed by government-backed Miral and is home to the Middle East’s most-visited theme parks – Ferrari World, SeaWorld, Warner Bros. World and Yas Waterworld. They are surrounded by deluxe hotels, beaches, a marina, a mall with 370 shops, the Etihad arena, a race track where the season-ending Grand Prix takes place and a golf course which holds a round of the PGA European Tour.
It is a key component of Abu Dhabi’s Vision 2030 strategy which aims to diversify its economy away from a reliance on fossil fuels. Yas Island has been developed in just the past 20 years and has cast a powerful spell.
According to Miral’s latest data, the number of visits to Yas Island rose by more than 10% to over 38 million in 2024 and this growth continued last year. The destination had a record-breaking summer in 2025 with a 15% year-on-year increase in visits and an average occupancy rate of 85% in its hotels.
Although the US-Israel war on Iran has brought dark clouds to the region’s tourist sector since then, the theme parks on Yas Island have remained busy thanks to their high standards and smart planning. Soon after the war broke out, Yas Island put its annual passes back on sale which increased its appeal to UAE residents. It followed that up in the middle of March by introducing a deal which offers four annual passes for the price of three.
The biggest attendance boosts are due over the coming years. A land themed to the wildly-popular Harry Potter stories is currently under construction at Warner Bros. World and the Disney park is due to open between 2030 and 2035. A report from American news outlet The Wrap claimed that it could attract as many as 32 million visitors in its first year alone, comfortably making it the world’s most-visited theme park.
It explains why Miral’s chief executive Mohamed Al Zaabi has publicly expressed his commitment to the project since the war broke out. It is also why Miral is doubling down on developing its infrastructure to accommodate the expected influx of tourists.
In an interview with theme park industry outlet Blooloop, Al Zaabi revealed that “we are adding more attractions, more experiences, more rooms. We believe that we need at least 30% more rooms in the coming five years.”
There are currently 3,217 rooms on Yas Island across 10 hotels including The WB Abu Dhabi, the world’s first Warner Bros. themed hotel. Al Zaabi said that its occupancy “was 83% during July and August but August itself only was 92% occupancy that month with a very decent daily rate.” He added that “with the results and success of that hotel, we will add more rooms to the Warner Bros. hotel.”
It will contribute to the increase of 1,000 rooms and there is room for even more growth. Abu Dhabi has a total of around 38,000 rooms which is a quarter of the number in Dubai. If the Disney park meets The Wrap’s forecast, the rooms in Abu Dhabi could quickly fill up leading to guests staying in Dubai and travelling in, which will be made even easier by the upcoming launch of Etihad Rail.
According to a report last month from property consultants Cavendish Maxwell, Dubai is expanding too and will add 4,600 hotel rooms this year alone so the regional conflict doesn’t seem to have slowed down the UAE’s desire to remain a tourism powerhouse.
