Malaysia first in Asia to host Legoland Park

[nazrey]

JOHOR BUZZ: Legoland coming to Johor
Friday, January 09, 2009



Impressive: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi looking at a
model of Putrajaya building made of lego bricks after the launch of Legoland
Malaysia project in Nusajaya in December last year. Looking on are
(from right) Legoland Parks managing director John Jakobsen, Johor Menteri
Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and Iskandar Investment Berhad chairman
Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar.

I USED to love playing with Lego bricks when I was growing up. In fact, I still play with those colourful interlocking plastic bricks but they belong to my nephew and niece, aged 9 and 12 respectively. They were both introduced to Lego when they were 3 years old.

It was announced in the media on Dec 13 last year that Iskandar Investment Berhad, the investment arm of Iskandar Malaysia, had signed a deal with the Merlin Entertainments Group to set up a Legoland theme park. The RM750-million project will be completed in Nusajaya by 2013.

There are only four such theme parks in the world, namely the Legoland Billund (Billund, Denmark), Legoland Windsor (Windsor, Berkshire, England), Legoland Deutschland (Gunzburg, Germany) and Legoland California (Carlsbad, California, USA).

Legoland Dubai is expected to open in 2012, and is slated to be the first Legoland in the Middle-East.

Of course, Legoland Malaysia will be the first in Southeast Asia unless some other countries in the region beat us to it.

Besides the excitement, I also learnt that there were some reservations from certain quarters in the state regarding Iskandar Investment’s Legoland project. Industry players had preferred an amusement park which was iconic and world-famous like Disneyland.

Malaysian Tourist Guide Council president Jimmy Leong was reported as saying that not many people were familiar with the Legoland brand.

He also said it would be difficult to market Legoland to tourists as Singapore’s Integrated Resorts had more attractive products and services to offer.

A Universal Studios Park is also being planned across the Causeway (or the second link, depending on which crossing you take to get into the island republic). It was learned that even before its construction has begun, the Singapore authorities were already “selling” the attraction worldwide.

I was somewhat upset with the defeatist stand that some of the tourism industry players were taking on this matter.

I believe that Iskandar Investment officials have made the right choice in making Legoland one of the three amusement parks in the Iskandar Development Region.

Do we need another Disneyland when there are already two in Asia, namely Hong Kong and Japan?

Moreover, it is not right to compare what we have and don’t have with Singapore. Perhaps we should learn how they are marketing the attractions instead.

Being the only Legoland in Southeast Asia will be a major pull factor for tourists to cross over from Causeway to Johor.

However, the tourism industry players must realise that they cannot bank on Legoland alone to get tourists to spend their money and time in Johor Baru.

A comprehensive tourist package has to be drawn up comprising competitive hotel rates, efficient transport system, discounted entrance fees and visits to the state’s other attractions.

According to Leong, another possible setback of the Legoland project was that its target audience was restricted to children aged between 2 and 12.

Lest someone forgets, children in that age group do not travel alone. As far as amusement parks are concerned, it is not for kids alone. Adults enjoy it, too.

I learned that the park will include a Lego mini land, a model village comprising models of world-famous landmarks and scenes made of millions of Lego bricks.

Other features include a Lego Mindstorms centre (fun-based learning), Duplo Gardens (for younger children), driving area (including attractions such as driving school, boating school, ballooning school and fire academy), My Town, Wild Woods and Knights’ Kingdom.

The park’s rides are all Lego themed and made to appear as if they are built of Lego bricks. For example, a popular ride called the Dragon Coaster will be based on the Knights’ Kingdom Lego sets.

Another popular ride is the driving school, in which children can drive small electric cars made to look like Lego cars along a short route, after which they get a mock driving licence.

In all, it appears that the Legoland promises fun not only for kids but for adults as well.

[nazrey]

Strategy to turn Iskandar into tourism hotspot
By Sharen KaurPublished: 2009/03/10

ISKANDAR Investment Bhd (IIB), which coordinates the development of Iskandar Malaysia in Johor, aims to transform Medini into a world-class integrated tourism destination by setting up more theme parks and hotels for holiday-makers.

Part of the overall tourism strategy for Iskandar Malaysia, in which Medini is located, has been to develop a multi-park destination containing a number of complementary international theme parks.

Managing director Arlida Ariff said the strategy is designed to attract a large number of visitors to Iskandar, increase the visitor length of stay and spend per visitor.

She said IIB and Khazanah Nasional Bhd are committed to the strategy and have been in discussions with a number of theme park operators.

"We continue to maintain dialogues with the operators for potential opportunities to create complementary leisure and tourism destinations in Iskandar," she told Business Times.

The first of three major theme parks planned for Medini is Legoland Malaysia, also Asia's first.

A pact was reached with Merlin Entertainments Group to build the park for RM750 million.

Construction of the park, which Merlin will design and operate, will commence by March 2010.

Legoland Malaysia is the centrepiece of a RM3.5 billion integrated complex earmarked for completion by 2013. The complex will have a lifestyle retail centre, offices, hotels, serviced apartments and homes.

Arlida said apart from theme parks, there will be other attractions relating to arts and culture, adventure-eco tourism and golf-themed holidays, complemented with world-class entertainment, retail and restaurants.

"The idea is not to view tourism products in isolation but to see Iskandar as an integrated tourism site to encourage longer stay and repeat visits," she said.

Medini, which is Malaysia's single largest urban development to date, is expected to bring in a gross development value (GDV) in excess of US$20 billion (RM69.6 billion) over a period of 15 to 20 years.

The development is divided into three distinct clusters with separate themes, namely lifestyle and leisure, culture and heritage, and financial.

Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a public-private sector partnership between IIB and its consortium partners, Global Capital and Development Sdn Bhd and Cultural Cluster Sdn Bhd, is the project development vehicle for the clusters.

Global Capital comprises Mubadala Development Co, Aldar Properties PJSC and Millennium Development International.

Cultural Cluster is majority-owned by Al-Nibras 2 Ltd, a Labuan-based private fund company managed by Kuwait Finance House (Labuan) Bhd.

[Waldenstrom]

It's a very nice theme park! I love LEGO.

[nazrey]

Legoland Malaysia seen tapping government loan
Business Times Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR — The government is likely to be tapped for a loan to kick-start the development of the proposed Legoland theme park in south Johor in view of the current credit crunch which has made funding tougher and more expensive to obtain.

A senior government official told BT that the joint venture behind Legoland Malaysia was expected to approach the federal government for a loan not exceeding RM500 million.

“It is difficult to get loans now, so it will have to be Malaysian government sponsored,” he said of the park which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013.

Should the government agree to a loan of RM500 million, it would provide two-thirds of the project funding — a point critics could conceivably latch on to as evidence that the theme park might not be otherwise commercially feasible.

The Legoland Malaysia project was announced over the weekend, with a planned investment of RM750 million. The theme park in Iskandar Malaysia will be the first of its kind in Asia and will be located about 20 minutes from the Second Link.

The project is to be 80 per cent owned by a consortium led by Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) and the balance by Merlin Entertainment, the designer and operator of the park.

Merlin's shareholders are US private equity firm Blackstone Group, Dubai International Capital and Lego Holding, while state investment agency Khazanah Nasional holds 60 per cent of IIB.

Over time, IIB plans to dispose of part of its equity in the theme park to other interested players — hotels looking to operate in the Legoland theme park, for example — so that investors are motivated to ensure the park's success.

Besides the entertainment hub where Legoland and possibly two other theme parks would be sited, Iskandar Malaysia has delineated other areas for clusters of commercial activities, including logistics, education, ICT, and banking.

Over time, the government hopes to transform the planned special economic zone — an area about 2½ times Singapore — into an engine of growth.

A multi-phase development, Iskandar Malaysia has reportedly received slightly over RM40 billion in international and domestic investments, or 86 per cent of the RM47 billion targeted in the first phase up to 2010.

Legoland Malaysia, which would incorporate millions of the colourful plastic bricks for which Lego is famous for, would be built on a 145-acre site in Nusajaya and would feature over 40 types of rides and other attractions.

It is expected to generate over 5,000 jobs during its construction as well as upon its completion.

Although Legoland Parks managing director John Jakobsen has projected a million visitors annually to the park, some remain sceptical of the theme park's future given Malaysia's hot and humid climate.

Even in the cooler climes of Paris and Hong Kong, Disney theme parks are struggling to meet projected visitor numbers and critics contend that Hong Kong's problem ought to serve as a warning of the potential pitfalls ahead, given that it borders China's vastly populated Shenzhen.

Singapore's upcoming Universal Studios in Sentosa could also prove challenging despite the contentions of Legoland backers that both attractions would be “complementary”.

Universal Studios Singapore would have a headstart in that it is scheduled to be completed in 2010 — at about the same time when construction is expected to start on Legoland Malaysia.

Other existing Legoland parks are located in Denmark, Germany, the United States and Britain. — Business Times Singapore

[AltinD]

Legoland Dubai was announced months earlier then this and with earlier completion date target. However, with the crisis, let see who will get the honour at the end.

[nazrey]

Using the personal approach to woo investors to Iskandar Malaysia
Published: 2009/04/22

ABU DHABI: Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) is counting on a more personal approach to lure potential investors to Iskandar Malaysia.

"Our approach is much more personalised now. Rather than cast the net wide in the hope of catching a few investors, we now focus on specific individual organisations," said Arlida Ariff, the IIB managing director.

She said in the wake of the global economic and financial crisis, IIB's research was geared to among others, pinpointing those who are still looking for opportunities for cost efficiency.

"These are the kind of people that we'd want to attract and cost efficiency is something Iskandar Malaysia can offer," Arlida said on the sidelines of the Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2009 real estate show at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

She said IIB, the catalytic developer of the special economic corridor in southern Malaysia, would be more Asia-centric in its quest for investors this year.

"We will move more closer to home, targeting mostly Indonesia and Singapore, for first half of this year, and then going further afield to China and India," she added.

Arlida disclosed that IIB would spend the next few days in conversation with several interested parties but declined to name them.

The 2,217 sq km Iskandar Malaysia, a mixed development planned for completion in 2025, has nearly met its US$13 billion (RM47.45 billion) overall foreign direct investment target for the phase ending in 2010.

To date more than US$11 billion (RM40.15 billion), or 92 per cent, had been invested by players in the new growth area, three times the size of Singapore.

On suggestions that Iskandar Malaysia's development was dependent on Middle Eastern money, Arlida said this was never the case.

"For Iskandar Malaysia as such, I would not say that Middle Eastern money is primary. In fact, it has never been our primary focus as such. What we wanted to do was to develop what was previously non-existent and introduce it to the world.

"Also, it was never intended that we only focus on the Middle East for potential investments. It was just one of the markets that needed a comprehensive, holistic introduction to Iskandar Malaysia. I think we've been fairly successful in doing that," said Arlida.

IIB's Middle East partners, Mubadala, Millennium, Kuwait Finance House and Aldar, have invested US$1.2 billion (RM4.38 billion) or more than 10 per cent of the capital raised to date.

Arlida also stated that IIB would focus on the implementation aspect of Iskandar Malaysia this year after previously planning, strategising and signing deals to make the special economic corridor possible.

Meanwhile, IIB's pavilion located in one of ADNEC cavernous halls has been visited by the United Arab Emirates' vice-president, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum as well as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi General Sheikh Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan.

Arlida said: "The message that we're bringing to Abu Dhabi is that all the projects committed to earlier are onstream. We've forged ahead with building designs and gone on with infrastructure construction."

She cited that Merlin Entertainment's US$200 million (RM730 million) Legoland Park as one of the newer investments that had come into Iskandar Malaysia despite the current global economic slowdown.

"We signed up last December and are now in earnest designing the masterplan and starting construction by the end of this year. We hope to open by April 2012," she said. - Bernama

[SaraMMM]

Hi
Any news about Legoland Dubai?
What is the current status of this project? Is it on hold?

[nazrey]

Legoland Theme Park Is Proof Of Confidence In Iskandar Malaysia
December 13, 2008 22:26 PM

JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 13(Bernama) -- The RM750 million investment to open the first Legoland theme park in Asia in Iskandar Malaysia is clear proof of the confidence of investors in the corridor launched in 2006.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that although the global economy was uncertain at present, the momentum for the development of Iskandar Malaysia was unaffected.

He said that to date, Iskandar Malaysia had received RM40.25 billion in both local and overseas investments, representing 86 percent of the RM47 billion targeted for the first phase until 2010.

"The RM750 million is a big investment. It is a symbol and proof of the confidence of investors in wanting to continue to invest in Iskandar Malaysia.

"Iskandar Malaysia has displayed convincing progress to enable it to emerge as a high quality and successful development area," he told reporters after witnessing the signing ceremony for the building of the Legoland theme park here today.

The agreement was signed between the managing director of Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) Arlida Ariff and the managing director of Legoland Parks, John Jakobsen.

Apart from Malaysia, similar Legoland theme parks are found in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.

Merlin Entertainments will design and operate the theme park with a 20 percent stake in the project, whilst a consortium led by IIB will own the balance.

The Legoland theme ark will be built on a a 145-acre site in Medini Iskandar, known previously as Node 1, and is expected to be opened by the end of 2013.

According to the Prime Minister, the emergence of Asia's first Legoland theme park in Malaysia was good as the country did not have any competitiors in attracting tourists to a similar facility.

"This means if tourists want to visit a Legoland theme park in Asia, they have to come to Johor Baharu and Malaysia.This is very good as we do not have to compete with other Asian countries," he said.

He also said that the authority responsible for developing Iskandar Malaysia would strive to get more companies to open theme parks in the corridor.

On the development of the other corridors in the country, the Prime Minister said that Iskandar Malaysia had achieved more progress as it was launched earlier.

He said that while Iskandar Malaysia was launched two years ago, the other corridors were only launched last year.

"However, I wish to see the other corridors also succeed. Various incentives and government financial resources have been given to the authorities concerned and they need to think of multiple strategies to succeed," he said.

He wanted the authorities responsible for the development to redouble their efforts to promote their corridors to investors, especially those from the Middle East,China, India and also throughout the world.

However, he stated that, development in the corridors was for all investors, both overseas and local.

The Prime Minister, who is also the joint chairman of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) attended its fifth meeting and the third for the Iskandar Advisory Council.

Also present was the Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, the managing director of Khazanah Nasional Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, the managing director of IRDA Datuk Ikmal Hijaz Hashim and the Johor state secretary Datuk Abdul Latif Yusof.

-- BERNAMA

by fbc.media

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Legoland Malaysia by kelvin255, on Flickr





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Perdana Putra by kelvin255, on Flickr
The Malaysian prime minister's office in Putrajaya

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Petronas Towers by kelvin255, on Flickr
Yes, its made of Lego

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Malaysia Miniland by kelvin255, on Flickr

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Malaysia Miniland by kelvin255, on Flickr

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Merdeka Square by kelvin255, on Flickr

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Lego City signboard by kelvin255, on Flickr

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Disturbing mail by kelvin255, on Flickr

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legoland malaysia

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20130413_172720 by atifnadzir, on Flickr

park future expansion

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20130413_172747 by atifnadzir, on Flickr

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legoland malaysia hotel

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hotel close up

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20130413_155402 by atifnadzir, on Flickr

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legoland waterpark construction

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20130413_172720 by atifnadzir, on Flickr

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20130413_185642 by atifnadzir, on Flickr

lazy river

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20130413_190026 by atifnadzir, on Flickr