The legislature of Spain’s autonomous state of Extremadura has passed a bill to promote the development of large-scale leisure attractions, including theme parks, hotels and convention centers and casinos.
The measure, introduced in March by Guillermo Vara, president of the state, which lies on the border with Portugal in the southwest of the country, streamlines urban planning and administrative requirements to make the approvals process faster and more efficient, the goal being to allow the region to compete in the resort space with other autonomous communities.
It sets a minimum investment threshold of €1 billion and requires at least 3,000 hotel rooms and the creation of at least 2,000 direct jobs. It also reduces building size from 1,000 to 300 hectares.
Also implied in the bill’s approval is flexibility on gaming tax rates, which opposing lawmakers have taken up, saying the measure is “tailored to suit casinos”.
A spokeswoman for the government said officials have not discussed any specific projects but there are four investment groups, which she declined to name, “looking at the region”.
