Two Tourism Projects in NE Slovenia
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The plans for the Megalaxia amusement park and Janezovci Thermal Spa would create around 1,500 jobs, according to Marjan Hribar, the head of the Directorate for Tourism at the Ministry of the Economy. According to Hribar, the projects are well thought out and present a good basis for the development of Spodnje Podravje. An advantage of the projects is that they are complementary to each other. Hribar hopes that the projects will give the area a new standard of life and new attractions. "There is a great possibility that the projects will be financed in part with EU structural funds", added Hribar. An investor for the Megalaxia amusement park has already been found and the Hajdina municipality has confirmed the required spatial plan. The company Cross, which has be chosen to carry out the project, is currently awaiting building permits. The Megalaxia project has been evaluated at EUR 105m, while the investors are hoping to get between EUR 5m and EUR 10m from EU funds. According to France Puksic, the mayor of the Destrnik municipality, small investors in Janezovci Thermal Spa are already known, while talks with the major investors are still under way. "We have four companies from Italy, Austria, and England in the mix, but I would not talk about the names at this time", added Puksic. The first phase of the construction of the spa resort would cost EUR 40m, whereas the second phase involving a golf course would cost an additional EUR 20m. "We are expecting between EUR 5m and EUR 8m from the EU funds," explained Puksic. The resolution on national development projects for 2007-2023 is made up of 35 projects worth a total of EUR 24bn.