aerial view of the world’s largest pool in Chile

Panama never got the memo: giant hotels are out, boutique hotels and eco-projects are IN.

In yet another move that supports the common belief here in Panama that when it comes to beach projects, “gaudy-is-good”, the Playa Blanca resort project is promoting plans to construct the second largest swimming pool in the world.

This 17 acre (not a typo) swimming pool will be part of the Playa Blanca resort residences, located just under two hours from Panama City on the country’s Central Pacific coast. This region, near the sleepy town of Santa Clara in the Province of Cocle, is undergoing an explosion of tourism development. Having already seen first-hand in Costa Rica the effects that hyper-growth can can have on under-prepared infrastructures and delicate ecosystems, it seems less than wise to pursue the Guinness book for mega pools in area already known for water shortages.

No worry though, for somehow this swimming pool will be “eco-friendly”, thanks to a system that apparently integrates some type of salt water treatment system (see clip). The company that built the largest pool in the world in Chile has been contracted for the job. Enviro-friendly o not, with a lovely beach directly in front of the semi-white beaches of the aptly named Playa Blanca, is this type of overkill really necessary? Read this excerpt on the current record-holder, taken from http://spluch.blogspot.com:

Acknowledged by Guinness World Records as being the world’s largest swimming pool, the lagoon trounces all other record holders in the category, including the Orthlieb pool in Casablanca, Morocco, itself a huge 150 meters by 100 meters – the San Alfonso pool is 1km in length. The revolutionary clear water artificial lagoons, transparent to a depth of 35 meters and unprecedented in design and construction methods, are the brainchild of Crystal Lagoons founder, biochemist and Chilean businessman Fernando Fischmann. Equivalent in size to an incredible 6,000 standard domestic pools, details of its technology are to be unveiled for the first time at Cityscape Dubai later this month.

Check out this clip of the wold’s biggest toilet:

Unfortunately, this undertaking is symbolic of Panama’s attempt to go the not-so-subtle route of Dubai rather than the proven and in my opinion, more sustainable, easily replicated model of Costa Rican tourism. Not surprisingly, as if to prove my point, Dubai has also signed up with the same mega-pool company to construct their own mega-pool. Three cheers for Panama — the new, 1970’s Hawaii!I thought Panamanian tourism minister Ruben Blades contracted fancy studies and engineered a “Tourism Master Plan” to prevent this type of schmaltz?

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Photo from: www.rans.cl/imagenes/Galerias/galeria_01/
galeria_01_gde/San%20Alfonso%20del%20Mar%20Resort.jpg

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Filed under: News, Politics on March 26th, 2008