Popular European water park set to open on new Canary Island suffers major blow
A long-awaited water park in the Canary Islands has suffered a major blow with its anticipated opening facing a lengthy delay.
The Siam Park water park planned for the Spanish island of Gran Canaria has hit a temporary delay, according to Alejandro Marichal, the councillor for Urbanism and Tourism in San Bartolome de Tirajana. The two-year delay is due the required approval of a modernisation plan by the Canary Islands Government, which is needed to advance the project. Should the water park be completed, it would serve as a major tourist destination for the islands.
"The Canary Islands Government is processing the modernisation plan, and once approved - we hope before the end of the legislative period - the City Council will automatically and expeditiously process the development project and grant corresponding license, Marichal said, according to local outlet Maspalomas24. While speaking on the programme A buenas horas, he argued the council had the "political will" to quickly see the project to completion but said the timing rested with the regional government.
"Therefore, if the government meets the planned deadlines, there are still at least two years of processing time before the start of construction on Siam Park in San Bartolome de Tirajana becomes a reality." The Mirror has contacted Siam Park via its website.
Siam Park already operates one water park on the island of Tenerife. According to its website, the water park has been named the best in the world for the 10th consecutive year and lists numerous TripAdvisor awards. The water park, inspired by Thailand, offers "thrilling" attractions, "serene" landscapes as well as "heart-pounding" slides such as the Tower of Power and the Wave Palace wave pool.
While the project would bring more revenue to the islands, residents on the Canary Islands have voiced concerns about over tourism in the region and have demonstrated against the status quo. They have repeatedly argued that over tourism on the Canary Islands has led to spiralling housing costs, competition to find somewhere to live as well as money not reaching everyone who needs it.
According to the Canarian Weekly, the archipelago has seen its population explode over the past two decades. In the past 20 years more than 500,000 people have been added to its population with some 2.2 million now being estimated to live on the islands.
But it is a delicate balance that officials need to find that satisfies the concerns of locals while not impacting the islands' economy. The Canary Islands' economy is highly dependent on the tourism sector as reported by Caixa Bank. It is estimated the tourism industry accounts for about 37.8 per cent of the region's GDP compared to 28.4 per cent for Spain as a whole.
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