On July 21, 2009, Mayor Villaraigosa joined Council President Eric Garcetti, former Councilmember and former State Assembly member Jackie Goldberg, and Merlin Entertainment Managing Director, Glenn Earlam, for the Grand Opening of a major Hollywood attraction, the $55 million, 44,000 sq. ft. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
The project created over 350 construction jobs and over 100 on-going permanent jobs.
The Merlin Entertainment Group is a British conglomerate that also owns and operates 52 attractions in 12 countries across Europe, North America and Asia, including Legoland, The London Eye, and Sea Life. Merlin is second only to Disney in attracting visitors worldwide, with 30 million visitors annually. Merlin is 50% owned by the Blackstone Group – a $113.5 billion global manager.
Madame Tussaud’s is an example of the emphasis Mayor Villaraigosa places on promoting the tourism sector and encouraging direct foreign investment. Tourism is the #1 job creator in LA County, with over 456,000 people employed in jobs catering to visitors.