Merlin builds on global growth with launch of Dubai Legoland
Theme park operator Merlin Entertainments is set to open a Legoland park in Dubai at the end of the month.
The park will include a Lego model of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Standing at 17 metres tall – compared with the real thing’s 830 meters – the Burj Khalifa model took more than 5,000 hours to build using 439,000 Lego bricks.
The Dubai park is the first in a raft of new Lego-branded resorts planned for coming years.
Japan and South Korea are set to get their own parks, with another new park expected to be opened within the next four years .
“Dubai is a key holiday market and we expect this new park to appeal to both domestic and international visitors,” said Merlin chief new openings officer John Jakobsen.
Merlin’s Legoland parks have been a bright spot for the company in recent years. In the company’s half year results released in July, Legoland revenue climbed by 11.1 per cent on the same period last year.
Legoland Dubai – the first new Legoland since 2012 – is the seventh of the parks to be opened around the world. The mega park will consist of six themed lands — Lego City, Adventure, Kingdoms, Imagination, Factory, and Miniland.