On October 21,  Merlin Entertainments (“Merlin” or “the Company”), a global leader in location-based entertainment, officially released the master plan of its first LEGOLAND^® Resort in China, LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort, at an event themed "Awesome Awaits, here in Sichuan". Representatives from the local government in Sichuan, Global Sunac Exhibition & Tourism Group, and Zhongjun Tianxin (Beijing) Culture Co., Ltd. were invited to attend the event, and jointly unveiled the master plan of LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort with Jordy Yang, General Manager of Southwest China, Merlin Entertainments. The event also kicked off a social media campaign calling for fans to contribute their creative ideas for MINILAND in LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort, in which the LEGO creative builds of the prize winners will be considered for LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort’s MINILAND, one of the most popular attractions and the heart of every LEGOLAND^® Park.

Building a cultural tourism landmark in Western China through a win-win collaboration

Sichuan is one of the economic development centres in Western China. The arrival of LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort signifies that Sichuan will become the first province in Western China to have the International IP family entertainment theme park. LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort covers an area of 57 hectares (about 570,000 square meters) and is operated independently by Merlin Entertainments and developed by its local partners, Global Sunac Exhibition & Tourism Group and Zhongjun Tianxin (Beijing) Culture Co., Ltd., with an investment of about 5.5 billion RMB.

Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, commented: “LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort is the ultimate LEGO^® theme park and hotel destination for kids aged 2-12 and their families, allowing kids and adults to play, ride, climb, build, and learn together for a high-quality parent-child time of ‘learning-through-play’. We are very proud to introduce LEGOLAND^® Parks to families in Western China. With the support from the local People’s Government, we believe we will carry out a win-win collaboration, by relying on our years of experience in the theme park industry, the global brand impact of the LEGO Group, and the rich local insights from our partners in culture tourism. Together we will build LEGOLAND^® Sichuan Resort into a cultural tourism landmark in Western China, which fills the vacancy of international theme parks in the region. Benefiting from the strategic location and the fast development of the area, we will expect to receive visitors from Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and other parts of Western China.”

LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort will include a LEGOLAND® Theme Park, LEGOLAND® Water Park and two LEGOLAND® Themed Hotels with 500 LEGO® themed rooms. There will be 9 themed lands in the LEGOLAND® Theme Park including BRICK STREET, BRICKTOPIA, LEGOLAND® Creative World, LEGO® CITY, LEGO® Friends, LEGO® MYTHICA, LEGO® PIRATES, LOST KINGDOM, and LEGO® CASTLE. The Water Park will consist of 4 themed areas: FANTASY LAGOON, DEEP SEA ADVENTURE, TREASURE ISLAND, and JUNGLE EXPLORE. These will make a total of about 100 interactive rides, shows and attractions for the Resort.

Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, Executive Chairman of LEGO Brand Group, said: “Over the past few decades, the LEGO Group has brought the idea of learning-through-play to more children and families in China. This has helped children develop life-long skills such as creativity, problem solving and communication as well as strengthen family bonds. Learning through play is also an important part of the experience at LEGOLAND® Resorts around the world. The exciting range of experiences available are designed to inspire children’s imagination and creativity in a fun and playful way. LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort is important step in bringing together this innovative and unique way of learning with the Chinese culture.”  

John Jakobsen, COO of the LEGOLAND® Resorts Group shared: “While maintaining the authentic LEGOLAND® experience, LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort will also integrate local cultural elements and set up world-first themed attractions such as the panda experience area, and MINILAND containing unique cultural characteristics to further inspire the spirit of children’s knowledge seeking and exploration. MINILAND, one of the core areas of all LEGOLAND® Parks, will be an indoor themed area located in LEGOLAND® Creative World, showcasing the landmarks and unique local life scenes, and celebrating the beauty of the natural scenery and urban street scenes in Western China. We encourage everyone to participate in the MINILAND social campaign and vote for the landmark you are most looking forward to seeing at LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort.”

LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort will always be committed to providing an immersive, innovative, and playful experience for Chinese families and all residents in Western China. By integrating local cultural elements, LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort will become a cultural tourism landmark in Western China, helping to drive economic and cultural development in the region. In addition, being at the strategic heart of Western China, LEGOLAND® Sichuan Resort will benefit from its well-developed location, serving a catchment of 40 million population.