The Parque de la Costa reopens after almost a year: from bankruptcy to rescue, how will the return

Barbara Villar

02/11/2021 3:50 PM

• Clarín.com

• Zonal

Updated 02/11/2021 3:50 PM

Eleven months have passed since the last time the

Parque de la Costa

opened its doors to the public.

The coronavirus pandemic and its consequent quarantine forced the iconic amusement center to cease its activities indefinitely.

A situation that triggered a

great economic crisis

.

"The business is unviable," declared its owners in November as they despaired of saving the space from bankruptcy.

Finally, after weeks of uncertainty and negotiations, the outlook is once again hopeful:

starting this weekend, one of its greatest attractions will reopen

.

They are not their roller coasters, but their

slides

.

From February 13 - subject to changes due to the weather - the

Aquafan

water

park

located in Tigre will once again receive visitors.

With protocols adapted to the current context of covid-19, the aquatic annex will enable its pools with artificial waves, the children's area, the relaxation area and its games of imposing heights to end the summer.

In this sense, access to the

solarium, restaurants, gift shops and changing rooms

will also be opened

.

"We are very happy to resume activity to continue carrying out our mission of providing fun for the whole family. We have started the tasks of set-up and maintenance of our parks, given the current situation of the pandemic, developing activity protocols based on the norms suggested by the world parks organization and considered in each case the provisions established by the National, Provincial and Municipal organisms ", explained Walter Alvarez, General Manager of Parque De La Costa.

Mobilization of the workers of the Parque de la Costa, during the month of November.

The reopening occurs within the framework of a change of administration in the place.

At the end of January,

Marcelo Figoli

- entrepreneur of the show - became the new owner of the entertainment center.

A firm that created the necessary conditions to

rescue the complex and guarantee the more than 500 jobs

that were at risk.

"The acquisition of the Park is one more step in our commitment to continue investing in Argentina, providing it with more and better entertainment and show options," declared the new manager,

head of Fénix Entertainment and Rock & Pop

, who took over the property. when he accumulated a debt for an amount close to $ 1,000 million.

The operation was carried out after two months of joint work with the government of the Province of Buenos Aires, the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation and the Deliberative Council of Tigre.

Since then the objective has always been the same: to advance with the prompt opening of the water park - and thus take advantage of the hot days that remain in February and early March - and then continue with the rest of the property.

According to

Clarín

, the park will reopen completely between the end of next month and the beginning of April.

But this weekend the most important aquatic attraction that it has would be presented again.

If it rains or there are storms,

as predicted, the

park would be closed

, as always happened on the property.

Entrance to the Parque de la Costa.

The history of Parque de la Costa

The place was inaugurated in 1997 in conjunction with the Tren de la Costa in a 14-hectare property located in the Municipality of Tigre.

At that time, it belonged to the Sociedad Comercial del Plata, led by businessman Ignacio Noel, and was considered by many to be the successor to Ital Park - an amusement park closed in the 1990s.

Although since its opening it used to receive about 800,000 visitors per year, in 2015 a stage began that triggered the current crisis in the place: it stopped generating profits and in 2019 it presented a balance with a red of US $ 270.7 million.

The situation worsened with the closure of the space due to the coronavirus pandemic and its income at 0. With debts that accumulated 30 million dollars, they opened the call for creditors.

Last year, Massa and Kicillof promoted measures in the Buenos Aires Legislature and in the Deliberative Council of Tigre to avoid a definitive closure of the complex and maintain its 500 jobs.

With the aim of encouraging new investors, the initiative exempted Parque de la Costa from paying taxes on Gross Income and Real Estate for two years and in Tigre a municipal ordinance was promoted that forgives the debts for municipal taxes on the property and exempts to the park of the payment of that tax during 2021.

Finally, Marcelo Figoli took the reins of the establishment and let it be known that he will seek to make the Park one of the most important at the regional level, with a projection of visitors of between 1.2 and 1.5 million per year.

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