Legoland Malaysia general manager Siegfried Boerst
said work on the park is now approximately 75% completed with most of
the rides and infrastructure already installed.
He said, in March
contractors began work on “theming” the park and next month they would
begin the installation of 50 million Lego bricks and models into the
park.
“We are ready to welcome one million visitors through our
gates in the first year of operations or between 10,000 and 15,000
daily,’’ said Boerst.
He was speaking to Malaysian and Singaporean journalists during a site visit recently.
The
US$200mil (RM608 mil) theme park on a 30.75ha site will cater to
families with children from two to 12 years old with 40 rides, shows and
attractions.
Many of the rides are hands-on, so visitors can
push, pull, pedal, programme, steer, squirt, splash, crawl, climb and
build for a full-day of non-stop fun.
“The park is divided into
seven theme areas, with each area designed for children to explore and
enjoy all the activities,’’ said Boerst.
The theme areas are called The Beginning, Lego City, Miniland, Land of Adventure, Imagination, Lego Kingdom and Lego Technic.
He
said what sets Legoland apart from other theme parks is the
“interactivity and participation to stimulate the imagination and
creativity of children”.
Boerst said the combined components of
play, bonding, and experiencing while creating would allow children to
share the values with their friends and peers.
“This offers
unique opportunities for families to bond and strengthen relationships
in today’s world dominated by digital gadgets,’’ he added.
Boerst
said the response to the park’s pre-opening promotional drive, which
began in January, was good with 35,000 annual passes sold online by the
closing date on April 16 .
He said the figure was the highest ever recorded for the sale of pre-opening annual passes for any of the Legoland theme parks.
Boerst
said 60% of the passes were bought by Malaysians and the remaining 40%
by foreigners, with Singaporeans making up the majority of foreign
buyers and the rest from other countries.
Other Legoland theme
parks are Legoland Billund in Denmark, Legoland Windsor outside London,
Legoland Deutschland near Gunzburg, Germany and Legoland California and
Florida in the United States.
There are also plans to open a
Legoland Hotel on a 0.97ha site next to Legoland Malaysia in 2014. The
hotel will also be the first in Asia and the fourth Legoland Hotel.
The other Legoland Hotels are located in Billund and Windsor, with a third one set to open in California next year.
Legoland
Malaysia is a joint-venture project between Iskandar Investment Bhd and
Merlin Entertainments Group — the world’s second-largest operator of
visitor attractions.
Merlin Entertainments operates 78
attractions, six hotels, two holiday villages in 17 countries and across
four continents. The company runs, among others, Sea Life, Madame
Tussauds, The London Eye, Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Tower Eye and Skywalk,
Alton Towers Resort, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventure.
~News courtesy of The Star~
