Dubai: The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chief has ruled out launching a Disneyland here in Dubai for the time being.

James Rasulo says the company is keeping an eye on Dubai's tourism growth.

"I'm happy with what's happening here and if there isn't any Disney resort and I mean anywhere in the world, not just Dubai it's because the timing, evolution and opportunity haven't arrived. The Middle East's tourism industry is in its early days and it will probably continue to grow but we have not looked at Dubai as a destination aggressively seeking development," he says.

Rasulo said that he did not think that projects such as Dubailand were any direct threat to Disneyland or any other resorts in their portfolio.

"Family tourism in general is not very popular. Most tourism targets adults and focuses on luxury and shopping. So if Dubai as a destination can become popular among families as a place to holiday then it will be an overall increase for family tourism, which would in turn benefit us," he says.

On hearing about the ambitious Lost World project, Rasulo says that he did plan to look into it further and that he was interested in it.

"I like family experiences that include fantasy and that's what we specialise in doing well. If someone goes to the Lost World and says they loved it then they're going to want to go to more places that offer such an experience and we would be a logical choice."

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has five theme park resorts around the world and the most recent one was opened in Hong Kong. "That was the result of many years of studying and waiting. We watched market trends and the infrastructure and it finally came through as a result of many factors including complicated development deals," he says.

Rasulo is of the opinion that Dubai's successful advertising campaigns in Europe that began five years ago have resulted in more than one-third of its tourists coming from Europe. But they need to go beyond the Atlantic. "At the moment there's very little about Dubai in America and there needs to be more branding out there," he says.