The RM750-million Legoland theme park at Bandar Nusajaya in Iskandar Malaysia (IM) is expected to open its doors in 2013.
The park would be built in the city centre of Nusajaya with a gross floor area of 5.5 million sqf within the 58.679ha land marked for the lifestyle-themed development. Construction work on the park will commence in 2010.
John Jakobsen, Merlin Entertainment Group Ltd (Merlin) managing director for Legoland Parks, said the theme park would create about 1,000 job opportunities in the park itself. The figure could increase to 5,000 during the construction period and indirectly upon the completion of the project.
The opening of the park is expected to benefit sectors such as retail, hospitality, services and food and beverage to cater for tourists and visitors.
Based on Merlin’s four existing parks with revenue between US$40 million and US$100 million per park, Jakobsen said Legoland in Bandar Nusajaya was expected to attract between one and two million visitors on a yearly basis. “We want to position our Johor park as a leading tourist attraction in Malaysia and in the region,” he said.
Merlin holds 70 per cent equity in Legoland theme parks while Lego Group holds a 30 per cent stake. The group is controlled by Blackstone Group of New York, an investment and advisory firm.
Legoland currently has four theme parks. They are in Billund, Denmark; Windsor, England; California and Germany. These parks were opened in 1968, 1996, 1999 and 2002 respectively. Another park, located in Dubai, will open in 2011.
Other theme parks under the Merlin group include Madame Tussauds, London Eye, Thrope Park, Sea Life Sanctuaries and Dungeons in Europe, in addition to 28 aquariums and six hotels across the world.
Jakobsen said the group had been considering coming to Malaysia since four years ago and had started seriously looking into it in 2008. The company’s investment decision in IM was based on the development activities to be implemented.
Jakobsen said Legoland in Johor would attract visitors from other parts of Malaysia, Singapore as well as visitors from other countries in the region. This is due to the convenience offered by Malaysia’s strategic location in Asia with 60 per cent of the world’s population.
“Legoland Park is different from other parks as our attractions are made to appear as if they are built out of Lego bricks,’’ said Jakobsen, adding that the theme park is targeted at children aged from two to 12 years old accompanied by adults. The park is not targeted at teenagers and young adults, which is the main focus of the other theme park operators.
