United Arab Emirates

The publisher of Disney magazines in the region is Al-Futtaim / I.T.P. of Dubai, a joint venture between Dubai businessma Othman Al-Futtaim and a UK-based publisher. Their program began with the weekly Mickey Mouse magazine. A new license has been signed for Mickey and six other titles, including a pre-schooler, a girl's magazine and two monthlies.

Disney is active in ten countries in the Middle east besides Israel. They are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia represents about 50% of the Disney market and is the biggest consumer of foreign goods between Western Europe and Souteast Asia. The United Arab Emirates is the second largest economy in the Gulf region and accounts for 20% of the Disney business. It is home to Disney's head office in Dubai, where open-door policies and free trade practices prevail.