JUE 18 DE ABRIL DE 2024 - 17:07hs.
In Extremadura region

Disney veteran to build US$3.5bn mega resrot with casino in Spain

Former Disney Vice President John Cora announced that his Cora Global development company would build a US$3.5 billion mega resort in the Spanish region of Extremadura. The property will occupy a 1,200-hectare site in the town of Castilblanco. The mega resort will feature a casino, entertainment options, and a Formula One track, among other facilities.

News emerged this week that Cora’s real estate development company is now looking to build an integrated resort in the Extremadura region. The implementation of the massive scheme was made possible under a recently approved regional law, Ley Extremeña de Grandes Instalaciones de Ocio (LEGIO), that offers tax incentives to gaming venues that are established as part of larger development projects.

During a press conference, Cora together with Extremadura President Guillermo Fernández Vara provided more details about the multi-billion-dollar project.

Borrowing from Greek mythology, Cora and his company aim to develop a true paradise on 1,200 hectares of land. The integrated resort project will be carried out in two phases. Now as Cora has received approval from the Extremadura government, construction work on the first phase is expected to begin within the next six months. Developers are targeting 2023 completion of phase one. The second phase is expected to be finalized by 2028.

Phase one of Elysium City will feature an 18-hole golf course, a football stadium with capacity for 40,000 spectators, a three- and a five-star hotels, a casino, a small marina, an adventure water park, and a theme park, among other amenities. Cora said yesterday that it would invest around US$1.5 billion in the first phase of its ambitious project. That original stage of the plan is expected to create around 15,000 new jobs. There is still no information on who will operate the casino portion of the mega resort.

The amount of US$2 billion will be spent on phase two and it will involve the construction of more hotels, residential towers, floating islands, a larger marina, a convention center, a Formula One track, among others. As mentioned earlier, construction is expected to be completed in 2028. The second phase will create between 40,000 and 50,000 new jobs, according to early projections.

Source: GMB