The resort is Disney's biggest foray into the Chinese market

Disney said company veteran Bill Ernest would take over as managing director, replacing outgoing chief Don Robinson.

The US firm hopes to attract 5 million visitors to the Chinese resort in its first year, although reports suggest the park is operating below capacity.

The $1.8bn (�1bn) resort is co-owned by Hong Kong's government.

Setbacks

Mr Ernest has worked with the US entertainment giant for more than 12 years, most recently as Disney's head of operations at the Hong Kong resort.

Disney is looking to attract the families of China's growing rich

He previously helped to run the Disney Cruise Line and was head of operations at the company's Walt Disney World resort, in Florida, the company said.

Hong Kong Disneyland, where characters such as Alice in Wonderland sing and speak in Cantonese, opened amid much fanfare in September 2005.

However, media reports have since claimed that the park, situated on Lantau Island off Hong Kong, is attracting fewer visitors than Disney had hoped.

Disney does not release visitor figures for the park, but the company expects it to generate $19bn over the next 40 years.

The resort, the group's second in Asia after Tokyo, suffered a series of setbacks in the run-up to its official opening.

It faced criticism from animal welfare groups in July, after reports that local officials had been called in to destroy at least 40 dogs roaming the site.