ARCHIVED - Murcia possible location for giant new Paramount Studios theme park

Murcian regional news,Paramount studios studies the region of Murcia

2010-02-27

Murcian Regional News, Minister in talks with Paramount Studios project team

The Minister of Culture, Pedro Cruz , and the President of the region, Ramon Luis Valcarcel, have returned from meetings in Dubai with the interesting news that feasibility studies are to take place into the construction of a massive theme park, on a level with Disneyland Paris here in Murcia..

Whilst it is too early to get overly excited, the new park could create 20,000 jobs and bring 3 million tourists a year more into this region, should the project go ahead.

The two have been in discussions with Michael Bartok, Executive vice president of the licencing division of Paramount Pictures and Ruwaad Holdings CEO Hayan Merchant who are said to favour the region because of its climatic attractions, over and above other regions including Catalunia and Andalucia, both of which have been considered for the project.

A site is being sought in Spain to create the largest them park in the country, of a size and sophistication to rival Disneyland Paris, together with film studios which will be the centre of Paramount filming in Europe.

Executives from Ruwaad, together will technical staff are to travel to Murcia and carry out the technical and feasibility studies, and the regional executive will begin the drive to attract investors for the scheme.

At this stage several locations are under consideration for the construction of the site, but Murcia is considered to be ideal due to the location of the new Corvera Airport, recently completed motorway links, the new high speed rail lines which are currently under construction and the fact that the region is the warmest in Spain, with an average 300 days of sunshine a year.

The project investigation team are moving fast and will be in Murcia within the next few days, hoping to complete the initial assessments within a month, with all viability studies to be completed by the end of April.

Should this project go ahead it will certainly be a massive stimulus to the employment prospects within the region, although other theme parks already in place, such as the local Terra Mitica in Murcia and other major parks throughout Spain have failed to perform financially in line with projections made.

Cruz spoke tentatively about investments of  1.800 million euros being required, and the region itself will be required to cede land to the project and invest financially if it wishes to hook a big fish like Paramount, but initial reports will indicate the feasibility of the project within a month or so, and maybe, just maybe, there might be a pot of gold waiting for Murcia at the end of the Ministers Rainbow.

For the full story of the Paramount Murcia Park