ANKARA - A year ago Paramount Picture put the proposal to construct a theme park in the Asagi Yurtcu-Ballikuyumcu district located on the Ankara-Eskisehir highway to TOKI, which has a 20,000 housing unit project in the area.
Erdogan Bayraktar, the acting chairman of TOKI, said Wednesday that they expect construction of the park to start next year. Bayraktar said that of the 20 million square metres of land at the TOKI-controlled site, three million square metres would be designated for the theme park. Work on the park is expected to be completed in two to three years after commencement.
However, one issue that is not finalised is whether the land to be used for the park would be a held in partnership, leased for a term of up to 50 years or sold directly to Paramount. Officials also said that Paramount Pictures might enter into a consortium to build the park and that some Turkish companies could also be involved in the project. The theme park building process is expected to create employment for ten thousands and, after in its becoming operational, it would create jobs for 30,000 people.
The theme park is expected to create venues from the Turkic world and would have accommodation available as hotels and villas. The company plans this theme park to be the largest entertainment centre in the Middle East and it is expected to attract three million visitors annually.
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