LEGOLAND FLORIDA
OLD ATTRACTION CYPRESS GARDENS, FLORIDA, CLOSED SEPTEMBER 2009 NEW ATTRACTION LEGOLAND FLORIDA, OPENING END OF 2011
Merlin Entertainments currently has four Legoland parks with three more in planning
– owners of the Legoland and Tussauds brands – after its previous operator declared it to be fi nancially unviable. The veteran family attraction, which includes a waterpark and botanical gardens, was opened in 1936 by entre- preneur Dick Pope. In 2007, Land South Adventures, a subsidiary of real estate company Land South Holdings, paid US$16.8m (£11.1m, 12.30m) for the site. Yet despite investing heavily in its infra- structure – even closing for renovations
C
ypress Gardens, Florida’s oldest theme park, was acquired last January by Merlin Entertainments
for several months – the operator admitted defeat in September 2009, blaming dwin- dling visitor numbers. Merlin Entertainments, however, quickly
identifi ed the 145- acre site as the perfect location for its fi fth Legoland park worldwide.
“As far as we’re con- cerned, Cypress Gardens has a proven track record, attracting more than one million visitors a year,” says John Jakobsen, managing director of Legoland parks. “The site has also enjoyed more than
“The previous park lacked a powerful, compelling brand”
ous operator’s experience? “We believe it has lacked a powerful, compelling brand to deliver sustainable, commercial success; the Legoland brand will do this. Merlin Entertainments is a major attrac- tion operator with proven expertise in running theme parks – the last owners were prop- erty developers.”
Although plans are still being fi nal-
The park will feature more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, aimed at families with children aged two- to 12-years-old
AM 2 2010 ©cybertrek 2010
$100m (£66m, 72.3m) of investment over the last few years, which means we can hit the ground running and have the park open in half the time we’d normally allow. Additionally, because the site has been a theme park for many years, a lot of the issues relating to planning have already been resolved.” But what makes him so confi dent the venture will be profi table given the previ-
ised, Jakobsen confi rms that the botanical gardens and waterpark will remain open, while other existing attractions may also be incorporated. New attractions will include the iconic Miniland – a Lego replica of the local region – found at every Legoland site. When open, the new park will feature
more than 50 rides, shows and attractions aimed at families with children aged two to 12. A confi dent Jakobsen says: “Our research in the area indicates a high recog- nition of the Legoland brand and a 90 per cent-plus intention to visit among families in our target market.” ●
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86