Disney chief executive Bob Iger said the company’s coming theme park in Abu Dhabi is one of the reasons he is bullish on the conglomerate’s ability to grow.

Mr Iger made the remarks after the company topped expectations in its quarterly earnings report on Monday. The company reported fiscal first-quarter revenue of $25.98 billion with an adjusted earnings per share at $1.63, topping Wall Street analysts’ estimates of $25.6 billion and an adjusted earnings per share of $1.58.

Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be the company’s first in the Middle East and its first new location since expanding to Shanghai in 2016. Mr Iger recently posted photos of himself walking the site of the future theme park, which will be on Yas Island.

Mr Iger said during a conference call that the visit reminded him of “how great the potential is to build in that part of the world”, adding the Middle East location gives Disney the opportunity to reach a sizable population that has never visited its other six theme parks throughout the world.

Disney‘s theme park unit recorded $10 billion in quarterly revenue, a new record. Disney’s international parks reported $1.75 billion in revenue while its US parks reported a revenue of $6.91 billion, both representing a 7 per cent increase year on year.

Disney chief financial officer Hugh Johnstone told CNBC that while attendance was up at its theme parks in California and Florida, fewer visits by international visitors had been recorded.

And while the theme parks saw a pick-up in attendance by 1 per cent, those who did visit Disney resorts spent more while they were there, with average spending for each customer up 4 per cent.

The company also warned that international visits to its US parks could be a challenge in the current quarter.

Disney shares were trading 6.56 per cent lower at 105.40 as of 1.10pm ET.

While the company did not mention President Donald Trump by name, his tariff and immigration agendas have led to a decline in tourism across the US.

And research from the World Travel and Tourism Council last week estimated that a third of international travellers are less likely to visit the US if the Trump administration follows through with proposed changes to a visa programme that would require wider social media disclosures.

The report said the proposed changes could reduce visitors’ spending by $15.7 billion, cost more than 150,000 jobs and weaken the US’s standing in the global travel market.

“We continue to monitor international visitation to our domestic parks and adjust our strategy,” Disney said.

Disney’s board of directors this week is also expected to meet this week to vote on Mr Iger’s successor, Deadline reported.

“I’m incredibly proud of all that we’ve accomplished over the past three years to set Disney on the path of continued growth. And I’m inspired and energised by the opportunities ahead for this wonderful company,” Mr Iger told analysts.