Shanghai is now home to the world's largest LEGOLAND park at the time of its opening in the city's Jinshan District on Saturday, in a sign that global companies are betting big on China's growing appetite for family-oriented theme parks.
Fiona Eastwood, the newly appointed CEO of Merlin Entertainments, which owns and operates the world's LEGOLANDs, visited the park one day ahead of its grand opening.
"This is our 11th LEGOLAND park and at launch it's our largest. We're really excited. This is the second biggest theme park market in the world and just very close to this wonderful location are 55 million people living nearby. We're already hearing from the Jinshan government that it's appealing to more people to come to this region. We're already seeing hotel sales have increased, so it will impact tourism locally, tourism in China. This will be the fan club for all the LEGO fans and it'll also bring international tourists into this region," she said.
The UK-based company, which also operates a number of other attractions and theme parks around the globe, viws the Shanghai park as a commitment to deepening its long-term presence in China. Meanwhile, Merlin is building another LEGOLAND park in Shenzhen.
"We've been operating businesses in China for just under 20 years. We launched our first business, Madame Tussauds Shanghai. The China market has enormous potential for us. It was also fantastic how close we worked with the Shanghai government and the Jinshan government which made life so much easier. So this is a really big market for us. That's why we built our biggest LEGOLAND park at launch," she said.
China is now the world's second largest market for theme park attractions, yet the market remains competitive. Eastwood voiced strong confidence in Merlin's ability to stand out.
"We're very excited about this market. We've been here for many years. We understand the market. There's plenty of room for lots of different operators. What's unique about LEGOLAND Shanghai? It's more than just rides. Whilst we have a fabulous ride here, the biggest minifigure in the world, we're also very much focused on children and children learning through play and bringing families together. There are so many build moments in this park. We've got technology. We've got many local features that you won't find anywhere else," she said.
A grand opening ceremony, held at around 10:00 in the vibrant LEGO Plaza, featured the iconic giant LEGO figure "Dada" as a backdrop, drawing cheers from a diverse crowd of local and international guests.
Spanning 318,000 square meters, LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort is the 11th LEGOLAND Resort globally and the largest LEGOLAND park at the time of its opening. It is a collaborative project between Shanghai Guoyi Investment Management, KIRKBI, Merlin Entertainments, and CMC Inc.
Designed specifically for children aged 2 to 12 and their families, the resort features eight themed areas, including "LEGOLAND Imagination Zone" and "LEGO Monkey King," offering over 75 interactive rides, shows and attractions.
Opening of LEGOLAND Shanghai park aims to tap China's growing theme park economy: CEO
