Merlin reveals plans to grow Australian portfolio with new attractions
A new Legoland Discovery Centre and Dungeons attractions are being planned for Australia and New Zeland by operator Merlin Entertainments, according to divisional director Rob Smith.
Smith said that the expansion follows increased visitor numbers at Merlin's existing Aussie attractions during 2018. The operator expects the number of visitors to be up by "between 3 and 4 per cent" for the year.
Smith credited Merlin’s growth in the region – where it is currently the largest visitor attraction operator – to a rapidly-growing Asian outbound tourism market, with visitors from India and China "particularly adding value".
“You could almost say that Australia is becoming a short-break destination for certain international markets – the average length of time spent in-destination is definitely shrinking,” Smith said.
Merlin's newest attraction, Legoland Discovery Centre Melbourne, opened in April 2017 and has performed strongly, he added, while a high amount of natural snowfall bolstered visitor numbers at its Victoria ski resorts, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek.
Merlin is currently the world’s second largest family entertainment company – with Disney being the largest – and it has more than 130 attractions around the world.
It entered the Australian market in 2011, acquiring the Sydney Attractions Group, which at that time operated the Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Tower and Sydney Wildlife World. It operates 13 attractions in total in Australia and New Zealand.
Merlin Entertainments Australia New Zealand Rob Smith Legoland Discovery Centre Dungeons Mount Hotham Falls Creek Sydney Aquarium

James Corner Field Operations creates Highline for London

Esbjerg’s landmark maritime center, designed by WERK Arkitekter and Snøhetta, opens to the public

SEVEN to open world’s first indoor Discovery Adventures centres in Saudi Arabia

Fun and fear drive new Universal attraction concepts for Texas and Las Vegas

Voelker Gray Design creates 10-acre hot springs wellness haven for Atlanta

AIDarchitecten create healing spa for Antwerp's Botanic Sanctuary

Hollaway Studio's Seahive would bring blue health to South-East England

SEVEN to invest US$13bn in developing entertainment destinations across Saudi Arabia

World Spa’s expansive 50,000sq ft urban bathhouse and wellness club opens in Brooklyn

Floating Salmon Eye visitor attraction by Kvorning Design highlights sustainable aquaculture

White Arkitekter's Wood Hotel in Skellefteå Swedish Lapland is climate positive and made from local timber

Nohlab's 'Everything' installation among Noor Riyadh festival highlights

Bob Iger's return to Disney sparks major restructuring focused on creativity and storytelling

Therme Group plans US$200m urban wellbeing resort in South Korea

Digital art installation in Nanjing helps the public keep an eye on exoplanets

First glimpses revealed of flagship Blue Zones Centre in Miami

Warner Bros. and Infinite Reality launch metaverse experiences for live sports fans

Storyland Studios' Nigeria's film city project will break ground in Q1 2023

Canyon Ranch preps for major expansion with new destinations in Austin, Fort Worth and Houston

WilkinsonEyre-designed Battersea Power Station development opens as leisure district following £9bn redevelopment

Healthy cities conference to discuss diversity and inclusivity in urban planning and design

Foster and Partners reveal design for sustainable marine life centre on the Red Sea

Anaheim's US$4bn ocV!BE project approved by planners

Construction marches ahead for Saudi giga-projects Amaala and The Red Sea

HBG Design behind Michigan’s six-storey Aquadome inspired by the sun’s path across the sky

Seventh International Museum Construction Congress to be held in Norway this year

The 'world's most anticipated museum' to finally open this year

Nike's Serena Williams Building, designed by Skylab, follows the concept of flow

Saudi Arabia's Neom mega-development to include 100-mile long 'horizontal skyscraper city'

David Adjaye and Ralph Appelbaum selected for £57m International Slavery Museum and Maritime Museum project
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates