City building block for Lego's success

Legoland Shanghai Resort welcomed more than 2 million visitors in its inaugural year, ranking top in both first-year visitor numbers and guest satisfaction among Legoland resorts globally, said a senior official at its anniversary celebrations on Sunday.

"Legoland Shanghai delivered a very strong first year," said John Jakobsen, chief strategic portfolio development officer of Merlin Entertainments.

"This not only confirms the huge potential of China's family market, but also gives us strong confidence in the vitality of China's cultural tourism market."

Jakobsen described the resort in Shanghai as the biggest project that Merlin Entertainments has ever undertaken.

"Our expectations were high because this is a strong market for Legoland. The Lego brand is already famous in China, creating a fantastic foundation. We have never seen guests as satisfied and positive with their experience as those here in China."

Drawing from 58 years of Legoland experience across 10 parks worldwide, the Shanghai facility incorporates unique elements tailored to Chinese preferences. These include Monkie Kid Land, unique to Shanghai, and a custom-designed Miniland celebrating China's cultural landmarks. New food, beverage and retail concepts developed in Shanghai are also being replicated at Legoland parks globally.

"Legoland Shanghai has definitely been an inspiration and a beacon for what other Legoland parks can do in other countries," Jakobsen said.

Chen Jie, general manager of Legoland Shanghai Resort, said the park's most dedicated annual pass holder visited 254 times within the year. Annual pass holders from Shanghai — as well as Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces — account for 76.5 percent of membership, while visitors from Beijing and the provinces of Guangdong and Shandong showed the fastest growth among long-distance provinces.

The park has maintained a roughly 50-50 split between ticket revenue and secondary consumption, with its main retail store becoming the top-performing Lego store nationwide, Chen said, adding that ride-hailing orders to and from Jinshan district where the park is located on the Didi platform after the resort's opening jumped 735 percent compared with the first half of 2025.

Zhuang Jian, chairman of Legoland Shanghai Resort and Party secretary of Shanghai New Jinshan Investment Share Holding Group Co Ltd, said Jinshan district welcomed over 20 million tourists since the opening of the resort, with revenue from cultural, sports and entertainment industries quadrupling.

Statistics show that Jinshan's total tourism revenue reached 6.78 billion yuan ($996 million), up 20.3 percent year-on-year, while the accommodation and dining sectors led citywide growth in 2025.

The resort's location in Jinshan offers accessibility to Shanghai's metropolitan area while connecting to the broader Yangtze River Delta region. Passenger traffic at nearby Jinshan North Station surged 44 percent since the park's opening.

On the anniversary date, China's first Legoland-themed train was unveiled on the G1509 route — running between Nanjing South and Sanming — offering passengers an immersive Lego experience with direct access to the station.

The district has created bundled ticket products with local attractions, as visitors holding Legoland tickets can receive free access to multiple district attractions and discounts at 51 local businesses. The resort has also partnered with iconic Shanghai attractions — including Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Shanghai Zoo — to launch multivenue ticket packages.

Jakobsen emphasized the company's commitment to maintaining momentum.

"We continue to bring cutting-edge concepts and world-class experiences here for China," he said, adding that the success of Legoland Shanghai has created a platform that can be replicated in other Chinese cities.

zhengzheng@chinadaily.com.cn