Merlin Entertainment chief wants Disney's crown

Posted August 25, 2008, 1:19P | Contributed by Jeff

Mr Varney likes to compare Merlin's approach to that of Virgin, casting Walt Disney in the role of British Airways. Although Merlin is still a distant No2 behind the American giant in the visitor attractions league table, with 32.2million visitors to 107 million, Mr Varney believes that he can take over the lead. “I'm a great believer that if you're really passionate about something, why shouldn't you want to be No 1 and shoot to be the best? It's what Americans call a great big hairy-assed goal.”