With 73 kilometers of coastline, beautiful sandy beaches, cosmopolitan cities, scenic mountain landscapes and an abundance of luxury golf resorts, including La Manga and the Polaris World developments, all offering an abundance of luxury villas with pools and golf apartments; Murcia's Costa Calida in Spain is becoming a firm favourite with British holidaymakers and starting to compete with its coastal cousins, the Costa Blanca, Costa Almeria and Costa del Sol.
Offering 300 days of sunshine a year, shallow waters and the Mar Menor's sandy beaches, British families flock to Murcia to enjoy its fabulous year-round climate and sultry summer temperatures, as well as the Spanish region's affordable luxuries such as the superb family villas with pools available at over 16 newly developed golf resorts in the area.
Although many of us would be happy relaxing with a glass of wine and enjoying evening BBQs or reading a book beside a villa's pool; recently there has been much speculation that Paramount Pictures, the producers of Hollywood movie hits like Titanic, Gladiator, Iron Man 1 & 2, Shrek, Tomb Raider and the Indiana Jones films is looking at the region of Murcia in Spain as a potential European location for a giant theme park that could compete directly with Disneyland Paris in France.
Even though these plans are not yet set in stone, the interest is clearly there as Spain's Minister of Culture, Pedro Cruz and Ramon Luis Valcarcel, the President of Murcia, have been in talks with Michael Bartok, the Executive Vice President of the licensing division of Paramount Pictures.
With talk of feasibility studies underway to consider a vast theme park project in this southern Spanish region, many existing villa and holiday home owners have been delighted by the prospect of a major theme park development in the region, which would, of course, secure their future property investments, as well as guarantee a steady influx of holidaymakers for the current 'seasonal' summer holiday rentals industry in Murcia.
Aside from an obvious environmental impact that would have to be considered very carefully, Murcia could become, as many homeowners already believe, a truly year-round holiday destination that has the potential to provide the perfect recipe for all-round family fun and entertainment. With many apparent 'Florida-type' similarities already in existence including splendid golf courses, luxury apartments and villas with pools, 5 star hotel complexes, pampering spas, child-safe beaches, good transportation links and brilliant weather and beaches...many holidaymakers already think there is a distinct need for more family orientated entertainment and holiday home owners are simply asking, why would theme park developers not want to come?
With the new International Corvera Airport, due to open 2011, as well as the new high-speed AVE rail lines currently under construction, many property agents and villa owners in Murcia are speculating that something will happen in the region. On the other hand however, could talk of Paramount Pictures coming to Murcia; a region that has been severely hit by the worldwide recession and property crash, simply be rumour and designed to give villa homeowners and investors a false sense of security?
One thing's for sure, provided the environmental impact on the region can be vigilantly monitored, such an extensive investment project in Murcia will provide a much-welcomed boost for the local economy, in terms for provided jobs and steady growth, as well as re-assure property owners at Polaris World Golf Resorts who have purchased golf holiday apartments or villas with pools in Murcia.