Merlin Entertainments announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Global Zhongjun Cultural Tourism Development Co. Ltd. ("Global Zhongjun") to build and operate a LEGOLAND Resort in Sichuan Province in Western China. The resort is scheduled to open by 2023. Under the terms of the agreement, Global Zhongjun will fund the construction of LEGOLAND Sichuan, as well as the required infrastructure and adjacent commercial developments, while Merlin will partner in the resort development and operate it under a management contract arrangement. LEGOLAND Sichuan will be located within the Tianfu New Area in the city of Meishan, approximately 60km south of Chengdu city centre. With good transport links by road and a future metro station planned for the area, LEGOLAND Sichuan will be within a two-hour catchment of 30 million residents. Chengdu and the surrounding region is also a popular tourist destination within Western China attracting millions of international and domestic visitors each year. The resort will open with two fully-themed LEGOLAND Hotels, with an estimated capacity of 500 rooms. It will also have scope to incorporate further attractions in the future.