“This project does not put any community’s water at risk. It is supplied by wells that had already been drilled on the property, with the proper permits and the AyA and Senara’s consent, and without harming other sources for human consumption.”
With these words Edgar Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Energy, emphasized this April 18th that the tourism project to be built by the global company Discovery in Liberia will not affect water supplies in the province.
“We can be certain that the project’s water supplies are independent from those that supply communities,” said Gutiérrez.
Discovery Costa Rica was presented today by President Luis Guillermo Solís and Vice-president Ana Helena Chacón, along with investors in the foyer of the Teatro Nacional.
The minister of Environment and Energy, who was also part of the presentation, assured that the project already has an environmental viability study to build the first phase, which is a model of sustainable development.
In order to build the ecotourism park, Sun Latin America, a Costa Rican developer associated with Discovery Communications, will make an initial investment of US$400 million (around ₡ 224 billion), one of the highest amounts in tourism over the last ten years, according to the President’s Office.
The project will take place on nearly 800 hectares near Daniel Oduber International Airport. Construction is expected to begin in 2018. The opening is slated for 2020.
Jobs for Guanacaste
According to president Luis Guillermo Solís, Discovery’s park will help economic development in Guanacaste gain traction. The project will create 2,000 jobs during construction, and 4,000 direct and indirect jobs once the park is open.
“In Guanacaste not everything is the punto guanacasteco [a traditional dance] and the marimba, it’s also technology, it’s also development,” said Solís.
“We want to see Guanacaste thrive like never before. The people of Guanacaste with jobs, with businesses who see Guanacaste as a place to invest and not just as a vacation destination,” the president added.
The vice-president, Ana Helena Chacón, emphasized that the challenge now is to improve job skills and become proficient in other languages.
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