Disney Parks in New Countries “Inevitable”

During an earnings call a while back, CEO Bob Iger gave a surprisingly candid response when asked about new Disney theme parks in different countries, saying “there’s an inevitability to us building parks in other countries, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to build something anytime very soon.”

Iger also remarked that Disney believes there’s “opportunity to expand in China, and there may also be opportunities in other parts of the world.” He also indicated that Disney regularly engages in conversations with representatives from different markets who would love to put Disneyland in their market.

Given attendance trends, the chatter about further development should come as no surprise. It seems like nearly every quarter, we hear reports of attendance and other growth. Particularly since 2011, the U.S. Disney Parks have seen pretty consistent annual attendance growth.

The above quotes came during the Q2 earnings call with investors and Wall Street Analysts on May 8, 2018. That’s a long time ago! Fast forward 7 years, and Disney made a bombshell announcement about a new theme park prior to its Q2 earnings call for 2025: Disneyland Abu Dhabi Announced, Disney’s 7th Theme Park Resort & First in Middle East!

Before today (December 28, 2025), this post was last updated two days before the Disneyland Abu Dhabi announcement. And I’ll be honest with you–the reason we updated this post as opposed to publishing a new one covering the rumor is because I was more than a little skeptical of Disney building a theme park in the Middle East.

Obviously, I was wrong. To my (very partial) credit, I did write this: “it’s possible that the UAE has made Disney an offer the company cannot refuse; they have no shortage of cash and bolstering the country’s prestige and profile is a paramount priority.”

Enter the latest “rumor” of Disneyland Thailand. The Thai government has confirmed to Lifestyle Asia and Timeout that it’s exploring bringing Disneyland or another world-class theme park to Thailand, pivoting away from an earlier entertainment complex proposal anchored by a casino. From the outlet:

The updated plan centres on the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials instructed to look for suitable land across four provinces: Chonburi, Rayong, Chachoengsao, and Chanthaburi. Alongside a major theme park, plans also include a new international stadium with a capacity of 80,000 seats, aimed at hosting global sports events and large-scale concerts.

Together, these projects are being positioned as ‘magnet attractions’ that could draw both tourists and investors into the eastern-region, while also giving Thailand something big and family-friendly outside of Bangkok.

The timing of this isn’t accidental. Long-delayed infrastructure projects, including the high-speed rail line linking Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports, are back in focus. Ergo, officials believe attractions like a Disneyland-level theme park would make the case for these mega investments far more compelling.

The last line gives away the ballgame. There’s a rich history of governments floating the notion that they’re “exploring” bringing Disneyland to their country as a way of drawing attention and interest in their developments.

Unsurprisingly, any mega investment is going to be more attractive if it’s anchored by Disneyland as opposed to just about anything else. Of course, the government being interested in Disneyland doesn’t mean Disney is interested in Thailand. Elected officials know this, and that they don’t have a realistic shot at Disney, but maybe the tease opens the door for SeaWorld, Warner Bros, or a casino or whatever.

Now this with Disneyland Thailand is more like the “rumors” we’re used to seeing when it comes to Disney castle parks in new countries. Not actual rumors or any actual inkling of interest on Disney’s part, but plenty from the governments in those localities.

I would hazard a guess that if you polled elected officials around the globe, you could source stories like this about Disneyland in a few dozen different countries. Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity for the boost in tourism?! (Don’t say France–besides, they got one anyway!) 

Unless the Thai government is proposing a state-funded project that requires zero investment from Disney and lucrative licensing fees (and they probably aren’t), there’s nothing to see here. I’m highly skeptical Thailand would be high on the list of places to build a new castle park if Disney were spending its own money.

But on the other hand, we were wrong about Disneyland Abu Dhabi and Disney was rumored to have considered Thailand years ago before landing on Hong Kong Disneyland, so who knows. Maybe it is happening again already!

Honestly, I’m skeptical of Disney investing its own dollars to build a new castle park anywhere, not just Thailand. The company has seemingly settled on its strategy for introducing Disney Parks & Resorts (sorry, Disney Experiences) to new markets: cruise ships.

This is the very obvious pivot, and one that makes the most sense if Disney is spending its own dollars. The cruise ship model is more nimble and dynamic, and less risky than building physical infrastructure on foreign land. This is doubly true as political instability is on the rise, and places that once seemed like safe bets no longer are (and vice-versa). But the increased emphasis on DCL as a substitute for new parks is probably another topic for another post.

Here’s our original commentary from 7 years ago on this very same topic…

Where Disney will build its next park is a question that comes up with surprising regularity. In part, that’s probably because it’s fun to daydream, and many Disney fans want to imagine a theme park in their backyard.

If you listen to Texans, it’s practically a criminal offense that Disney has yet to build in the center of the universe Texas. (No offense to the Texas-centrics reading this–perhaps Disney is just worried that such a concentration of awesomeness would be lethal to us non-Texans?)

The other reason for this ongoing conversation is because it seems like every other week there’s another article that makes the rounds about bogus plans for a new Disney park about to be built in [insert random country here]. No, for real this time. While it’s easy to dismiss those stories as dumb clickbait, my suspicion is that many of these articles are fueled by politicians with various ulterior motives. I won’t digress into that, though.

Whenever friends have sent these to me, my response has been the same: I doubt I’ll see another castle park open in my lifetime. While this new quote by Bob Iger might cast doubt on the likelihood of my ‘prediction’, I think there’s still only a 50/50 chance I’ll see the opening of another castle park. Not because I think ‘Rio DisneySky’ is next or because I plan on dying in an epic bear-wrasslin’ battle in 4 years, but because I just don’t see any options for resorts in new locations in the foreseeable future.

If I were to prognosticate the future development of Disney Parks around the globe, I think the safest predictions are new gates in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Anaheim, and Paris (in that order). Even then, those are likely not in the cards as near or mid-term developments, except perhaps second gates in China and Hong Kong.

As always, here’s Why a 5th Theme Park Will NOT Be Built at Disney World in the Next Decade. Realistically, I’d extend that to in the next two decades. The only reason the title does not end with “in My Lifetime” is because I plan on living an obscenely long time–we’re talking mid triple digits–and it’s impossible to foresee what could happen once we hit Walt Disney World’s 100th Anniversary.

In the more immediate future, expanding Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris are all planned. These projects have been announced, in some cases construction has begun, and they will consume a significant amount of Parks & Resort’s capex for the foreseeable future.

Timelines for the announced projects listed above already stretch into the next decade. It’s difficult to see Parks & Resorts capex being diverted to developing new sites with any of those safer bets still on the table. Once those expansion projects plus yet-unannounced second or third gates are completed, we’re already looking at 2040, at the earliest.

Setting that aside, and assuming arguendo that Disney has a more immediate desire to build in a new locale, there are basic prerequisites. First, the location needs to have a high concentration of middle class residents within close proximity; spitballing, I’d say there need to be over 50 million income-qualified potential guests within 4 hours by public transportation.

Second, the location needs to be somewhere that would not cannibalize a significant amount of business from Disney’s existing parks. This is the one that eliminates literally any other location in the United States. (Sorry, Texas.) It also eliminates anywhere in Europe.

Third, the location needs to be somewhere that has demonstrated long-term political stability. A place that has economic or political volatility would not be a good suitor. This might eliminate Brazil (and a number of other locations, most of which were probably already eliminated, anyway), which otherwise would be an obvious candidate.

Fourth, the choice needs to be relatively uncontroversial for a family-friendly, all-American brand like Disney. I think this might rule out places like Saudi Arabia or Qatar. These countries otherwise have governments with the resources to lure Disney (or license the name) if they so desired. China seems about as bold as Disney would get in that regard, but as the saying goes: money talks.

Speaking of which, assuming what I’ve listed are Disney’s actual parameters, that basically just leaves expansion at new sites in Asia. Singapore would’ve been an interesting option at one point, albeit unlikely. The Disney Adventure cruise ship that’s coming to Singapore would seem to be the answer there, anyway, and more of a “right-sized” and dynamic option.

Seoul is another interesting option, and there are a number of thriving industries that could make this location sustainable. However, let’s not forget the instability a mere 50 miles from the city. There’s always the possibility the North Korea ‘situation’ does get resolved in the near future, but to the extent that Disney is comfortable building there? That seems highly unlikely anytime in the mid-term future. Not only that, but the demographics are dire.

Beijing is pretty far from Shanghai, and also has a sufficient population buffer. That city now has a Universal theme park, which isn’t necessarily outcome-determinative either way. Orlando has both Disney and Universal outposts, and it’s much smaller than Beijing.

Guangzhou is also a huge city and a safe distance from Shanghai, but it might be too close to Hong Kong. In actuality, there are probably a few other potential candidates in China, but it seems likely that Disney would take a wait and see approach in the near to mid-term with further development in China.

(Update for 2025: I’d bet against new sites in China given the deteriorating political climate and relationship between the U.S. and Chinese governments. I’m skeptical Disney would make the same decision to build Shanghai Disneyland, in the first place, if doing things all over again right now.) 

Finally, it needs to be a country with favorable demographics. This is somewhat of an outgrowth of the above points, except not just with regard to income. Any country chosen for a new park would almost certainly have to hit the sweet spot of a growing middle class and a younger population.

This should be important to Disney as a hedge, especially as all of its current parks are located in countries with aging populations. This is most evident in Japan (albeit at parks Disney does not own), but the United States and every other country where Disney Parks currently does business has the same issue with irreversibly declining fertility rates.

For its next park, Disney will likely choosing a country that offers the intersection of the above, with current stability and favorable long-term prospects for a younger population and growing middle class.

From this perspective, India is probably the best option, but I think that’s another one where a wait and see approach might be appropriate to see how middle class income continues to develop. Still, development here within the next 30 years is not outside the realm of possibilities. Other countries that seemingly check at least some of the right boxes are Vietnam, Indonesia, and Brazil.

I think that’s about it. Realistically, I think it would also take the local government offering Disney a sweetheart deal or taking a stake in the business (or both), which complicates this calculus even further. As with the Olympics, being home to a Disney theme park is a legitimizing factor, and I could see other emerging world cities that want to step out onto the world stage also vying for a new Disney park. The question, ultimately, is whether Disney would be willing to take the gamble.

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Your Thoughts

Where do you think Disney will build its next park? Do you think we’ll see a new castle park in our lifetimes? Where is your dream location for a Disney theme park–either close to home or your favorite travel destination? Any other speculation, commentary, or questions? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your take below!