Legoland firm grows visitor numbers and plans expansion

Legoland is planning new openings in Manchester, Vienna, and Bangkok

Merlin Entertainment, which owns Legoland, Madam Tussauds and the London Eye, saw visitors to its global attractions rise by 9.7% in 2009.

The company said it had achieved strong and resilient growth in the face of the global downturn.

Merlin, owned by private equity firm Blackstone, said its group revenue for 2009 rose by 16% to £769m ($1.15bn).

It continues to expand its business and plans to open a range of branded attractions.

It is planning new Legolands for Manchester, Dallas, Florida and Malaysia.

It has opened a Madam Tussauds in Hollywood, and plans new openings in Bangkok in Thailand, and Vienna in Austria.

Merlin Entertainment also owns the London Eye, which last year was visited by 3.85 million people.