Crystal Lagoons®, the innovation multinational in water, negotiating with the main operators of malls, compensation funds and racetracks, among others, to develop Public Access Lagoons, known as PALs, surrounded by white sand beaches. These can be accessed via a ticketed entry and include various entertainment and gastronomic services.
On an international level, the company, which is linked to the Chilean biochemist, Fernando Fischmann, began to see a sharp rise: Six months ago they accounted for 50% of the firm’s contracts, however they currently account for 60%.
“The company is fully focused on the private sector, which has provoked a greater interest among private investors. Today, all of Crystal Lagoons efforts are in this domain”, says the firm’s Director Executive, Cristián Lehuedé.
Investors, he adds, are concerned that projects of this nature exist where they cannot ensure “a correct level of maintenance, thus harming the product.”
Lehuedé maintains that traditional projects –such as those in real estate, for example– in which Crystal Lagoons has developed lagoons, continue to be dynamic worldwide. “The novelty, however, is that a large number of them are being designed with private areas, that is to say, real estate with independent areas for public access. This is also the case in Chile.”
The executive confirms that, in Chile, “we believe that several projects will be carried out during 2019”, stating that the company plans to materialize 16 PALs on national territory.
According to the firm, an average artificial lagoon requires an investment of US $ 3 million – to cover construction costs –, yet generates revenues of US $ 15 million per year, with low operating costs.
“According to the country, the value of the tickets fluctuates between US$ 10 and US$ 30 per person. Crystal Lagoons obtains a percentage of the royalties of the tickets or invests directly,” explains Alastair Sinclair, Crystal Lagoons Regional Director for Asia.
The first pal that Crystal Lagoons developed, which is fully operational, was on the island of Bintan, near Singapore. The second, located in Turkey, precisely in the Onikisubat area, was developed in association with the local municipality. Likewise, in the United States, where the largest number of the company’s amenities are to be found, the real estate projects of Epperson (Florida) and Balmoral (Texas), established a public access zone. An entrance fee costs US$ 25 per person.
One of the next initiatives to be launched by Fischmann’s company will be in Thailand, one of the main tourist destinations on the planet. In March, Crystal Lagoons will open a 4 -acre PAL on the island of Phuket, known for its paradisiacal beaches and for being the movie set for Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Beach.
The project in Phuket, known as Blue Tree Phuket, expects to receive 1.5 million visitors in the first year, mainly from China, Russia, Australia, Germany, South Korea and France. The crystalline lagoon incorporates an amphitheater for shows, 17 restaurants and 70 stores. The project represents an investment of US $ 46 million.
The company is also planning an amenity in Hong Kong, which will be part of a public park with a 7 -acre lagoon. Also in Asia, Crystal Lagoons has arrived in Vietnam with a 15 -acre lagoon in Hanoi.
Lehuedé points out that other PALs under construction in the United States include: Jungle Island (Florida), Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) and Land Texas (Texas). He also highlights the Alovera project in Spain, Tilal al Ghaf in Dubai and the Diamniadio Lake City in Senegal, which houses the regional offices for the UN and the Chamber of Commerce.
In Italy, a PAL is planned for the outskirts of Milan. In summary, the firm has 40 PALS in the pipeline for Latin America, 13 in Africa, 12 in the Middle East, 11 in Asia, 10 in Oceania and nine in Europe.
Crystal Lagoons is an international innovation company founded by the scientist Fernando Fischmann, who has developed a patented technology that allows the construction and maintenance at low cost of artificial lagoons turquoise waters of unlimited size.