ARCHIVED - Paramount Theme Park in Murcia, rumour mongerers at it again

Paramount Theme Park Murcia, British press at it again

A reader contacted to ask why we had not reported on the excellent news that " a statement issued by the Regional government of Murcia indicated that the much anticipated Paramount Theme Park could be completed a year ahead of schedule, " as reported in one of the free newspapers distributing within part of the Region.

Not having received any such statement we double checked through the press statements issued by the Region of Murcia, and certainly no such statement has been issued during the last month.

The piece also claims that the complex will include cinematographic studios, an idea which was shelved months ago,  according to the official presentation of the conceptual project in March and says that the project will be "part funded by private enterprise."

Which is an interesting way of looking at it, as ALL the money will come from private enterprise eventually, the current shareholdings in the Proyectos Emblemáticos business which will build and develop the park being 80% owned by Jesús Samper, and 20% by "companies" owned by the Region of Murcia.

Initially when the `project was first discussed, the two tourism promotion businesses which form part of the regions´s promotional activities put in initial financing, the idea being that this was only a temporary assistance and that their shares would be sold off once investment was found for the whole project.

So where has this excellent news come from?

The only root some of the article could have come from was an interview given by Pedro Cruz on 12th July to a Spanish news agency. Their news article said,

A tal efecto, Cruz ha asegurado que son muchos los inversores que han venido ya, pero "todo esto tiene unos tiempos, y tendremos el libro de ventas perfectamente acabo".

   De hecho, ha confirmado, "en septiembre se podrá hacer una presentación del proyecto de inversión, en donde habrá todo tipo de información, el estudio de viabilidad, maquetas, entre otros".

   Así, ha explicó el consejero, de septiembre a febrero se hará la captación de inversiones. Ciertamente, "es un proyecto para el que no estoy preocupado, pues va muy bien, rodando por sí mismo".

Cruz assured that many investors have come forward but , "all this takes some time and we will have the sales book perfectly full."

Indeed , he confirmed that, "In September we will be presenting the investment project, in which all the information about the project will be shown, including the viability studies, the models etc

He explained that between September and February the plan to capture investment will begin, certainly, " it´s a project I´m not worried about, as it´s going very well, with its own momentum."

He went on to say that he hoped the construction would begin between February and March next year and that the park would open its doors in the final year of the PP legislature, in 2015.

All of this backs up the only other source of any statements reference the park, which has come from Jésus Samper himself, who has said in answer to reporter questioning pretty much the same thing, that as of this moment there has been no announcement made about specific investor interest, but that people are looking , and that the full investment project will be presented in September. He did say that he hoped to open the doors before the time limit imposed by Paramount Studios for the granting of their license expired, but that´s not a statement made by the Region of Murcia, but a statement made by a man looking for investors in a project he´s promoting.

So the statement that the Region of Murcia has issued a release is incorrect, it hasn´t.

What has been happening is that the Region is starting to see the potential of tourism and starting to undertake a number of initiatives to try and develop a long-term strategy for promoting tourism, all the PP Mayors, Media ( spanish language media only) and businesses with an interest in tourism this week signing a convenio pledging to work together to develop tourism and maximise its potential, creating future employment.

The President of the Region has made a strong statement of intent to develop tourism initiatives, the Paramount Theme Park Murcia being mentioned specifically as one of the key projects, so this is also a positive statement of intent.

So , in summary, there is still a lot of talk about the future of this project, and in September a presentation will take place specifying the investment advantages of the park and a concerted effort be made to find investors, taking the form of a roadshow and a presentation at the Arab Investment Forum being held at the end of October, but as of this moment, it is a little premature to be talking about the opening dates of the park when investors are still to be found.

What is a little worrying is that misleading information such as this is being given front page exposure.

The recent News of the World fiasco was a bucket of cold water for the media. The decadent days of scandal mongering and seeking exposure at any price have gone and the closure of the paper was a wake-up call to take the responsibility of news diffusion a little more seriously.

The article in question will be read by thousands of people.

So will this one.

When this enterprise first began, we measured its growth by coachloads. In the first week we gleefully worked out that 2 whole coachloads of expats had come onto the pages, of their own free will,  and read the pieces. As it grew , slow coachload by slow coachload, the calculation extended to working out how long a tailback 50 coachloads of readers would make if they all went to Murcia at the same time, but now, this responsibility has become a fear.

Now that the numbers of coaches per week has gone well into 3 figures, the sense of responsibility is frightening.

If the wrong information goes out, thousands will read the wrong information.

If a council cancels a concert at the last minute and doesn´t tell anyone,  somebody will be inconvenienced, but it´s not a major tragedy, but if a theme park doesn´t go ahead when houses have been bought because somebody says it´s definitely happening before the investment has been obtained, then that´s a different matter altogether.

All of the businesses working in this region want Paramount to happen.

We all know that if it does, jobs will be created, business prospects improve and the spotlight of the investment world will fall on this region.

Undoubtedly, house prices will go up and rental properties become more attractive, Murcia will become a recognised name and investment into the region increase.

But until the full investment has been obtained, all we can do is speculate about what COULD happen.

Let´s be honest, the economy is a mess, house prices are still slipping back and interest rates are starting to climb again. It´s not the best economic news for those selling property.

But rather than just clutching at the Paramount straw, what have we got here already?

We´ve got the warmest climate in Spain and a Region as yet  unspoilt by mass development which retains a quirky and interesting Spanish personality all of its own.

We´ve got superb beaches, the Mar Menor offering glorious sailing and watersports, beautiful inland wine producing and fruit growing areas, a good infrastructure, a fascinating cultural and historical heritage, a vibrant cultural scene, a good ex-pat community which supports its members through a busy social and support programme.

And yes, house prices are low, but that means there are some superb bargains for those looking to buy or relocate.

We have so much now.

Whether Paramount comes to Murcia or not, it´s still a good place to be.

Come on guys, do your research properly.

We have a responsibility to at least try and give the right information.

For the whole story of the Paramount Theme Park from day one, go to History of the Paramount Murcia Theme Park