traveler
June 24th, 2006, 01:01 AM
Soccer stars invest in Algarve resort
Five Portuguese international soccer stars currently playing in clubs abroad, have combined to invest €40 million in Hotel Alvor Baía, holiday resort at Portimão, Algarve. They will own 50% of an hotel offering 400 apartments, bars, restaurants, swimming-pools health clubs, congress centre and sporting areas over a 7ha site near the Alvor, Três Irmãos and Vau beaches. The other 50% is held by RR Group which signed a partnership deal with the soccer players. The project is due to come on stream in June 2008. Fernando Rocha chairman of RR Group said "basically this is the national team". He said the idea of linking a tourism project with football stars is unique in Portugal. “Normally they lend their faces as PR vehicles but here they are investing personally”, he said. RR Group owns Hotel da Rocha, Júpiter and Club Amarilis on the Algarve. Target markets for the new football tourism development include UK, Irish and Spanish tourists. The idea is to promote the development in football-mad countries such as the UK and Spain. The project will incorporate discrete football themes and include a large playing field among amenities. The hotel is to be managed by a major international hotel chain which is reportedly enthusiastic about the idea of marketing an hotel associated with international football stars.
Five Portuguese international soccer stars currently playing in clubs abroad, have combined to invest €40 million in Hotel Alvor Baía, holiday resort at Portimão, Algarve. They will own 50% of an hotel offering 400 apartments, bars, restaurants, swimming-pools health clubs, congress centre and sporting areas over a 7ha site near the Alvor, Três Irmãos and Vau beaches. The other 50% is held by RR Group which signed a partnership deal with the soccer players. The project is due to come on stream in June 2008. Fernando Rocha chairman of RR Group said "basically this is the national team". He said the idea of linking a tourism project with football stars is unique in Portugal. “Normally they lend their faces as PR vehicles but here they are investing personally”, he said. RR Group owns Hotel da Rocha, Júpiter and Club Amarilis on the Algarve. Target markets for the new football tourism development include UK, Irish and Spanish tourists. The idea is to promote the development in football-mad countries such as the UK and Spain. The project will incorporate discrete football themes and include a large playing field among amenities. The hotel is to be managed by a major international hotel chain which is reportedly enthusiastic about the idea of marketing an hotel associated with international football stars.