SeaWorld has opened a massive new aquatic life park in the United Arab Emirates, its first outside the United States. The US$1.2-billion venture features the world’s largest aquarium and a cylindrical LED screen.

The new facility, which opened to visitors last month, gives the Orlando, Florida-based company a foothold in a fast-growing international tourism destination and the opportunity to continue its rebranding after years of criticism and allegations of animal cruelty.

For the United Arab Emirates, home to the futuristic city of Dubai, the world’s tallest skyscraper, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the arrival of SeaWorld adds yet another major tourist attraction.

The partnership with Miral brings SeaWorld into a larger plan to transform Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island into a theme park hub to rival Orlando. The island already boasts a Formula 1 circuit, a water park and a Warner Bros. theme park, and celebrities like Kevin Hart and Jason Momoa have been enlisted to promote it.

“It’s a form of non-oil diversification and soft power,” said Christopher Davidson, a former professor of Middle East politics at Durham University in Britain. “Association with big brands like this serves as a ready-made import to the UAE and will automatically translate into increased tourist numbers.”

SeaWorld pays homage to Abu Dhabi’s cultural heritage with a themed “realm” of traditional houses and sailboats evoking a simpler time before the discovery of oil, when the sparsely populated emirates largely relied on fishing and pearl-diving.

There are no orcas at the park, which does house animals like dolphins and seals, whose captivity and training for profit and entertainment purposes are also often criticized as unethical by animal rights advocacy groups.

Scrutiny of SeaWorld reached a crescendo following the release of the 2013 documentary “Blackfish.” The documentary focused on the life of Tilikum, a 12,000-pound orca that killed trainer Dawn Brancheau when he dragged her into a pool at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010. The film implied that orcas become more aggressive in captivity.

The film caused visitor numbers to plummet across SeaWorld’s three parks in the United States.

In the face of mounting criticism, SeaWorld halted its orca breeding program and live performances featuring the whales in 2016. That same year, it announced plans to build a park without orcas in Abu Dhabi.

SeaWorld says it is now committed to rescuing and rehabilitating animals, and that a full-time staff of veterinarians ensures they are well cared for. Last year, its Orlando theme park opened a facility to care for Florida manatees that were dying from starvation in their natural habitat. The company says it has raised $17 million to support hundreds of research and conservation projects around the globe.

“By leveraging a fundamental SeaWorld design principle of putting animal well-being and care at the core of the design, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi is set to redefine the standards of excellence for marine life theme parks across the world,” the company’s chairman, Scott Ross, said in a statement.

The park is certified by the international brand of American Humane, which is behind the end-credit certifications that no animals were harmed in the making of films. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, widely seen as the gold standard for humane certifications, has certified SeaWorld’s US facilities, but the Abu Dhabi park has not submitted an application for accreditation, according to Jennifer DiNenna, director of accreditation at the AZA.