AusLeisure

A groundbreaking ceremony for what will be the world’s largest man-made surf park has been held at Siheung City, South Korea to commemorate the commencement of civil works on the project.

Scheduled to open in 2020, the ceremony was attended by more than 500 dignitaries and officials including the hosts responsible for bringing the project to life: Choi Sam-seob, the Director of the Wave Park; Lee Jae-myung, the Governor of Gyeonggi Province; Lim Byoung-taek, the Mayor of Siheung City; Lee Hak-soo, the President of Korea Water Resources Corporation; and Wavegarden’s Chief Commercial Officer, Fernando Odriozola.

Plans for the Siheung Surf Park - which includes a beach almost 1 kilometre long - were initially unveiled last November when the key parties signed a joint business agreement to turn this ambitious vision into reality. Business stage 1 will see the creation of Asia’s first Wavegarden Cove on a site covering 166,613 metre2, which is on track to open to the public in 2020.

In stage 2 of the development, the Daewon Plus Group, the investor of Wave park, will invest approximately US$2.3 billion to progressively construct a hotel, convention centre, marina, and ferris wheel. Siheung, a city formerly known for its industrial manufacturing business, will transform its venue into an epicenter for tourism and leisure, anticipating two million visitors per year.

Commenting on the start of the civil works, Odriozola stated “as could be expected, the ceremony was amazing.

“Our hosts are really embracing the sport of surfing and we’re confident that this Wavegarden project will become a mecca for surfing, not just for Koreans, but also for people throughout Asia."

Images: This week's groundbreaking ceremony (top) and the planned Turtle Island development (below).

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