CARLSBAD -- Peter Ronchetti has a sunny view of what lies ahead for Legoland California, and it's not just because he arrived from a theme park that gets half as much annual sunshine.

Ronchetti, who took over as Legoland's general manager Jan. 1, said an aquarium that opened at the park last summer has its annual visitor count on track to break 2 million for the first time, even as many other tourism businesses are hunkering down. He hopes to launch one new attraction at the park this year and a major expansion next year, he said.

"The really neat thing is, this flies in the face of the recession," Ronchetti said in an interview last week.

Ronchetti, who is English, said he, his wife and their sons visited Legoland for the first time in 2000, two years before he went to work for its owner, Merlin Entertainments Group. Along with Carlsbad's beaches and walkable downtown and the San Diego area's other attractions, it struck him as ideal for a family vacation, he said.

The park was owned by the Lego Co. at the time, but the Danish toy company sold a majority stake to Merlin in 2005 in order to focus on its namesake building blocks.

Ronchetti, who was managing a roller coaster-centric amusement park for Merlin in London's western suburbs, said he asked almost immediately to be considered for general manager in Carlsbad should the position open up.

That happened last year, when former General Manager John Jakobsen was promoted to manage the Legoland parks group, which owns three in Europe and two on the way in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

Merlin said from the beginning that it planned to expand Legoland California and invest beyond the $450 million price of the four Legoland parks. Merlin is majority-owned by the Blackstone Group, a New York investment firm. Blackstone raised $4.1 billion in 2007 through an initial public stock offering. The company has also eyed a public offering of shares in Merlin.

"If we add just one or two more 'lands' to what we've got, and a hotel, we're talking about a fully fledged resort" in Carlsbad, Ronchetti said.

To date, Sea Life Aquarium is the largest major step in that direction, accounting for a large chunk of the $20 million that Merlin reported investing in the park last year. Just south of the pre-existing attractions, the aquarium is one of 29 Merlin operates worldwide, and one of a small handful attached to other amusement parks, representatives said. The aquarium is open seven days a week and draws a large number of its guests from school groups.

A 250-room hotel is also on the horizon. Carlsbad city land-use planners approved the planned hotel last month; it still requires approval from the City Council and the California Coastal Commission.

Ronchetti was cagey on further details of plans to expand within the parks' 128 acres. A relatively small attraction is scheduled to be added this year, with a $10 million investment in a new area to follow in 2010, Ronchetti said.

Ronchetti has been making the rounds of business leaders in Carlsbad, a process that might smooth any potential bumps in the road. Ronchetti said he believes that the park has established a good name in Carlsbad, however. He said he expects his job will be easier in that regard than his last one, where five-story roller coasters drew hordes of teenagers, as opposed to the young families that visit Legoland.

He never made a habit of introducing himself as working at that park, he said with a wry laugh: He was always afraid that a resident of the neighboring 500-year-old village might tell him, "The noise from your park ruined my life."

Contact staff writer Chris Bagley at (760) 740-5444 or cbagley@nctimes.com. Bagley blogs about local economic trends at http://bizblogs.nctimes.com.