Posted: 27 February 2011 1153 hrs
JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia - Asia's first Legoland theme
park is on track to open next year in southern Malaysia, its
builder said, as the region goes all out to lure tourists with a
series of big ticket attractions.
Earthmovers have flattened a vast expanse of oil palm-covered hills
to make way for the 31-hectare Legoland Malaysia, one of the main
attractions of a new city and economic zone called Iskandar
Malaysia.
The park, which will offer 40 rides, shows and displays of the
famous Lego toy bricks of Denmark, is just across a waterway from
Singapore, which opened Southeast Asia's first Universal Studios
entertainment complex in 2010.
Zainal Ashikin Muhammad, chief executive of IDR Resorts, the
builder of Legoland Malaysia, said the new park will complement
Universal Studios Singapore rather than compete with it for
custom.
"Is there a saturation of theme parks? In this region, no. There's
still a lot of growth for theme park development," he said during a
recent media tour organised by Iskandar Malaysia.
European visitor attractions operator Merlin Entertainments, whose
stable includes Madame Tussauds, the London Eye and SEA LIFE, has
been roped in to operate Legoland Malaysia.
When completed, Legoland Malaysia will be the sixth of its kind in
the world after those in Denmark, Britain, California, Florida and
Germany.
Zainal said the Malaysian version will be one of three
internationally branded theme parks that will operate by 2025 in
the Iskandar region, in an ambitious project covering an area three
times the size of Singapore.
With these theme parks, a 50-kilometre radius spanning Singapore
and Iskandar will become like Orlando, Florida, which hosts
Disneyland, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, Zainal said.
"That is what we aspire to be," Zainal told reporters.
"We have the natural resources, we have the land... This is a
catalytic project."
He said the regional market is big enough for more theme parks,
despite the presence of Universal Studios in Singapore, Disneyland
in Hong Kong and smaller attractions by local players.
Singapore welcomed a record 11.6 million foreign visitors last
year, up 20 percent from 2009, thanks largely to the lure of its
two new integrated resorts one of which has Universal Studios in
its complex.
Zainal said the Legoland Malaysia project has been progressing well
since they broke ground in December 2009, building over an area of
bushes and plant life.
Primary infrastructure, including roads, power substations and
drainage systems, is about 50-60 percent complete, he said.
Construction of the main theme park will start in March, he said,
adding that of the 720 million ringgit (US$235 million) cost, 200
million ringgit in contracts have already been awarded.
The fabrication of the rides has begun overseas while the
construction of the 15,000 Legoland model structures to be
displayed at the park has started in Malaysia and abroad.
About 30 million Lego bricks will be used to build the model
structures.
"Everything is in place," Zainal said. "Some rides are already here
but majority will start to be shipped in July or August this
year."
Siegfried Borst from Legoland Germany, who was recruited to help
run the Malaysian version, told reporters it will offer the same
rides and attractions available in Europe, but with an Asian
touch.
The "miniland" displays will consist of Lego replicas of iconic
buildings and structures in Asia, including Malaysia's Petronas
Twin Towers, formerly the tallest building in the world, he
said.
Because of the tropical weather, queueing areas in Legoland
Malaysia will be covered, and the developer has ordered thousands
of trees to be planted within the park grounds.
Borst said they are targeting at least a million visitors in the
first year of operation.
"I'm pretty confident that we can live up to the standards that we
have in the other Legoland parks as well," said the 20-year veteran
in the theme park business.
- AFP
