The following article is taken from Eye on Spain, www.eyeonspain.com

Is Disney Coming to Spain? That'll be No.

Much talk has been circulating the internet with rumors about the up and coming major theme park that is going to be built in Spain. There are actually hearsays about which major company will set up base in Spain. Disney is one of the names that is mentioned about this issue. Just to clear things up, Disney is not setting up a new franchise in Spain, but Paramount Pictures is.

Mickey Mouse in SpainThose who were hoping for the Disneyland Spain version to be true won't be disappointed either as Paramount Pictures does have a reputation to boast too. Aside from the major films it has produced over the years such as the box-office hit Transformers and the unforgettable love story Titanic, it surely will give nearby Disneyland Paris something to be worried about.

The land to be used for the project was originally to be used for another project, namely the Sierra de Alhama Golf Resort. Due to various reasons, it was not able to push through, but was replaced with plans for a major theme park, which were all just finalized last week. The Paramount Theme Park will be built on a lot measuring around 1.59 million square meters, located close to Alhama de Murcia at the intersection of RM2 and RM23.

In relation to specific details about the Paramount Theme Park, plans are yet to be announced in the next few months, but one thing is for sure, it will certainly be something that will give visitors a good reason to come and visit Murcia, and boost its tourism industry. The project is estimated to create about 20,000 jobs for the locals.

Around 15,000 hotels are now being drawn up for the expected 3 million added visitors to the region once the theme park is finished and open to the public in around two years time.

Why Murcia? For starters, Murcia has been getting good reviews as a family destination for beach lovers. Aside from the great winter climate and the huge support that the project is getting from the regional government, it will surely make Murcia the "Leisure Center of Spain" and possibly the next big place in Europe as well. Other plans are also on the drawing board to support this major project. An airport is now being drawn up to make travelling to Murcia a breeze for outside visitors with it only a 20 minute ride from the theme park.

This airport is just the start of the good news that the Murcian economy will be getting in the next few years.

Even if Disney is not coming to Spain, there is no reason to sulk as a Paramount Theme Park will surely give you more than you expected.

 


Comments:

CommentDateUser
An airport is on the drawing board!? More like an airport is almost about to open!!! The airport has been in construction for over 2 years (Corvera) and is less than 10 minutes drive from this site, do better research next time eh!?3/2/2011 3:52:00 PMA Jones
'15,000 hotels'? surely this is a typo. If the average hotel had 50 rooms, each accommodating 2 people, that gives 1.5 million tourists at any one time. Add that to the 500 hotels planned for the 'llano central' and we are in Disneyland!3/2/2011 3:56:00 PMelcantal
3 Hotels to start and there will be a theme park and a water park. The site is 5 minutes from the Polaris World Condado de Alhama Golf Resort and there's been renewed interest in the properties there as prices are well below what they were when the resort welcomed its first owners in 2008. This theme park will be called the Paramount Resort and its going to be about the same size as Disney Paris it should be an enormous boost for the local economy.3/2/2011 5:46:00 PMJazz
I think the opening date for Paramount is now 2015 if all goes to plan but still great news for not only Murcia but any tourist resort within easy reach. Such as Mojacar in Almeria where I live, just over an hour's drive away. John. 3/2/2011 7:12:00 PMJohn Beachcomber
I think the opening date for Paramount is now 2015 if all goes to plan but still great news for not only Murcia but any tourist resort within easy reach. Such as Mojacar in Almeria where I live, just over an hour's drive away. John. 3/2/2011 7:49:00 PMJohn Beachcomber
Corvera airport has been advertising for staff. The emloyment and training will be undertaken shortly. The airport is due to open July 2012. As a resident of Totana, only a few miutes drive from the Paramount site, this can only be good news for our area's employment and property prices.3/2/2011 9:34:00 PMGill
If anyone has been to Canada and visited Canada`s Wonderland in Toronto (built by Paramount) you will have some idea of the high standard of Paramount projects!3/3/2011 9:33:00 AMursula
This all sounds great. I have also been hearing rumours about EuroVegas. A copy of Las Vegas in Europe, and it sounded like Spain might be a potential target for that one too. Does anyone know anything more concrete on that?3/4/2011 12:02:00 AMTomas Vaitulevicius