by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:30 PM ET, Mon November 2, 2015
Photo courtesy of Riviera Maya Tourism
After a long process of negotiating between DreamWorks and Riviera Maya officials, the entertainment company has finally gained the green light to build a theme park in the Mexican tourist destination.
According to Miguel Bravo of the Riviera Maya News, the park is expected to be built on 7.5 hectares of land in the Punta Maroma area with construction beginning next year. The report also claims the initial investment for the DreamWorks amusement park will be $800 million.
Trust for Tourism Promotion of the Riviera Maya Director Dario Flota Ocampo told Bravo that the new attraction "will be the first of its kind in Latin America and will generate significant revenues and tourist numbers."
DreamWorks is still waiting for the final permits to clear, but the initial plans indicate the theme park will be similar to the company's attraction inside American Dream Meadowlands in the New York/New Jersey area.
The amusement park is expected to feature rides, theaters, restaurants and retail shops, and will have a bounty of appearances and themes from DreamWorks' roster of popular animated characters, including stars of hit movies like "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Madagascar."
Local officials believe that the new DreamWorks theme park will draw tourists from South America who will bypass parks in the United States in favor of the attraction in Riviera Maya.
Flota Ocampo told Bravo, "It would be the first in Latin America and could be attractive to the South American public. It is a way for them to experience a park of this type without needing a visa to visit the United States. It's the kind of attraction that increases the length of stay, like what has happened with Cirque du Soleil, which generates more economic benefit."
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