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The first Paramount theme park in Europe will open
Jesús Samper, President and CEO of Proyectos Emblemáticos Murcianos (PREMURSA) presented a vision for an exciting new project last week in Madrid. The Project includes Parque Paramount Alhama de Murcia, the fi rst Paramount theme park ever built in Europe, and a large cultural, business and leisure complex currently called the Lifestyle Center . The project will be located in Alhama de Murcia. His Excellency Mr. Ramón Luis Valcárcel, President of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia and Michael Bartok, Executive Vice President of Paramount Licensing Inc. were in attendance at the event to demonstrate their support for the project.
The entire project budget is 1.1 billion Euros and it will have a major impact on regional tourism with more than 3 million visitors expected annually, comprised of both Spanish and international tourists. The theme park is sized at 550,000 square meters and an adjacent, state-of-the-art business and leisure complex is sized at 1,030,000 square meters.
The theme park and the LifeStyle Center will be promoted by Proyectos Emblemáticos Murcianos S.A. (PREMURSA), established by Santa Mónica Financial Services S.L., with 80%; Región de Murcia Turística S.A. (REMUTURSA), with 10%; and Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia (INFO), with the remaining 10%. PREMURSA has entered into an exclusive long-term license with Paramount Licensing Inc. for the development and operation of a theme park in Spain. While not an investor, Paramount is actively engaged with the developer in the design of the park.
"Paramount chose the Region of Murcia for this project because of the exceptional qualities that make it a popular tourist destination. The support from the regional and local governments as well as PREMURSA is remarkable and we look forward to creating a world-class destination, " said Michael Bartok.
This project, which is one of the pillars of the development strategy of the Murcian Region, will generate a total of 22,600 jobs through direct and indirect employment (16,500 during the construction phase and 6,100 during the operation).
Jesús Samper emphasized the certainty of the feasibility of the project, with great con dence in both public and private pro tability. “The project, will become, without a doubt, the development engine of the regional and local economy and will position the Murcian Region as a world tourist destination.
“Alhama de Murcia has been chosen for the development of the first Paramount Themed Park in Europe because of its outstanding and unique geographic, historic and climatic characteristics. The region is ideal for many reasons, including its 300 sunny days per year, its beaches less than 30 minutes away, its amazing natural and cultural heritage, and its outstanding transportation infrastructure. Two airports, the new International Airport of the Region of Murcia (opening estimated for 2012) and San Javier Airport will provide easy access by air and there is also an excellent road network between Madrid and the Mediterranean area. A new High Speed Train line is expected to open in 2014 connecting Murcia with the main Spanish capitals. Locally, Alhama de Murcia is perfectly positioned between the main cities of the Region (Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca), at a distance of less than 50 Km. by highway ,” explained Jesús Samper.
The first Paramount park in Europe
Parque Paramount Alhama de Murcia, will become a major destination attraction with a completely immersive theme park that brings the legendary films of Paramount to life.
The park, designed with exciting state-of-the-art technologies, will include over 30 attractions designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of ages and interests. There will also be 2 themed hotels located within the park’s boundaries as well as themed stores and restaurants that will be based on Paramount properties. This story-driven park will quickly become one of the most compelling theme parks in Europe.
Paramount Promenade provides a grand entrance to the experience and serves as the main artery through the park. In addition to an enticing collection of retail and restaurant o erings, this is where Paramount Live, a live-stage-spectacular will be found.
The rest of the park is divided into 4 themed areas that transport visitors into compelling scenes from Paramount movies: Adventure City is where action fans will experience the most vivid and exciting scenes from movies such as Mission: Impossible; Rango’s West is based on the hit lm Rango and it includes Rango 4D, a Ragin’ River Rapids ride and the Spirit of the West Mine Coaster; Woodland Fantasy will become the favorite place for children, as they are invited to sharpen their magic skills at the Stardust Wizard’s Workshop and embark on an interactive dark ride adventure at the Spiderwick Chronicles; finally, Plaza Futura will be dedicated to thrilling and other-wordly science ction experiences based on Paramount lms such as Star Trek.
LifeStyle Center, a strategic center for business, cultural and leisure activities
Next to the theme park is the LifeStyle Center, a complex that will become a core center for the business, cultural and leisure activity of the area throughout the year. The LifeStyle Center will include top-quality infrastructure, excellent hotels, restaurants, and leisure activities delivered at such a high level that is certain to become an economic engine for the Region of Murcia.
The Lifestyle Center can be divided into 3 main areas: hotel complex, leisure area and business area. The hotel complex will include 7 hotels, with service and styles broad enough to accommodate leisure and business travelers. Four of the hotels will be 3-star hotels; two will be 4-stars hotels, with a convention area, with particular appeal for business travelers and event hostings; and nally, a 5-star hotel for the most demanding clientele. The 5-star hotel will include a casino, adding an attractive nightlife component to the LifeStyle Center.
Leisure will be another appealing part of this complex. The commercial area will be integrated into a Street Mall of 150,000 m²; where the restaurant and night leisure area will include space for night clubs and bars. In addition, the LifeStyle Center will allow the exhibition of major cultural events in its auditorium, exhibition room and large convention area -- a collection of venues and high-level infrastructure that is not currently o ffered in Murcia.
These new projects complete the major business and cultural o ffer of the LifeStyle Center and will establish it as an urban center designed to meet all visitor needs. Adjacent to the Lifestyle Center, the commercial area will include a state-of-the-art business complex that will allow the development of a true fi nancial hub for the region.
In order to facilitate transportation between the park and the rest of the complex, the project will have a network of ecological vehicles. In addition to providing easy circulation, the transportation system will preserve the environment by supporting sustainable energy technology.
In short, the LifeStyle Center will become an important asset for economic, cultural and leisure development in Spain and will also serve as a perfect neighbor for a unique, world-class theme park.
The opening of Parque Paramount Alhama de Murcia is projected to take place in spring, 2015, along with the rst phase of the LifeStyle Center.
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NewsParcs will do a full coverage of the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 in Orlando to have a look at the latest trends and developments of the global theme park industry.
