An Italian entertainment company is snooping around Perth, looking for property where it can build what’s been called “one of the biggest family resort and theme park operations on the planet.”

The search is being conducted by a division of Ermes Technologies, which believes its to-be-named, $4 billion resort will attract more than two million visitors a year. The resort, which has been compared to Walt Disney World in Florida, will include two theme parks, as many as four hotels, a shopping area, restaurants, theaters, night clubs, and a pair of 18-hole golf courses.

“The resort will be a dreamland,” said Enrico Petrucci, the CEO of Ermes’ themed entertainment division, in a comment reported by the West Australian. “Totally self-contained to reach, to rest, and have fun for two or three days. Where people can return home with unforgettable memories and the desire to come back again.”

Ermes – the word is an acronym for European Research & Manufacturing of Engineering Solutions – is involved in a wide variety of activities. It designs drones for military uses, builds supercomputers, and provides engineering services for the defense and aerospace industries. It created its themed entertainment division in 2009, to increase the market for its animatronics capabilities.

So far, at least, the company is being encouraged by tourism officials in West Australia, who are eager to attract vacationers.

“It sounds like a bold and exciting development that would be welcome in Western Australia,” the region’s tourism director told the West Australian.

But while Petrucci thinks Perth is an ideal location for the resort, he isn’t putting all of Ermes’ eggs in one basket.

“If we find Perth is not interested,” he noted in what appears to be a negotiating ploy, “the second city we are looking at is Melbourne.”