Chilean firm Crystal Lagoons will build a 2.7 hectare lagoon offering an unlimited selection of water sports in the $600 million Sharm El Sheikh luxury resort in Egypt, said the company’s CEO.

Aimed at the high-end traveler, the resort covers 75 hectares with 2,500 rooms across three separate hotels, added Kevin P Morgan, the newly appointed CEO of Crystal Lagoons, the patented technology developer of giant crystalline lagoons.

The company will showcase the project at the upcoming real estate event Cityscape Global next month in Dubai.

Crystal Lagoons will also display its under-development initiatives in Jordan, Turkey and the UAE.

The Sharm El Sheikh luxury resort, which is being developed by leading Egyptian tourism company Radamis for Hotels & Touristic Resorts, is Crystal Lagoons’ latest Egypt project with the company already licensing its technology in what will be the world’s largest manmade lagoon as part of the Citystars Sharm El Sheikh resort.

This 12-hectare mega lagoon will surpass the current Guinness Book of World Records holder, Chile’s San Alfonso del Mar resort, Crystal Lagoons’ first project, a company statement said.

Part of a mixed-use project developed in partnership with Egypt’s Golden Pyramid Group, Citystars Sharm El Sheikh will feature a series of 10 saltwater lagoons, covering a combined area of 100 hectares and including the world’s largest lagoon, to create a unique desert oasis and new tourism landmark for the region.

The development, which is currently under construction and expected to open before the end of the year, will offer 1.2 million sq m of residential units, hotels, golf courses, marinas, a museum and a commercial centre.

“Mena represents huge opportunity for Crystal Lagoons as investment in tourism infrastructure continues to grow. The UNWTO has forecast a respectable 3-4 per cent growth for the region this year and our portfolio of projects continues to attract attention from flagship tourism destinations across the Middle East,” said Morgan.

“Our uniquely innovative concept is backed by patented technology and offers a strong competitive advantage that we believe will be the catalyst to revolutionize the leisure experience in the real estate and tourism markets,” he added.

Crystal Lagoons’ portfolio also includes The Dead Sea Lagoon in Jordan, a project in partnership with leading Jordanian real estate developer Sama Jordan. Located 31 kilometers from Amman, the $160 million project includes 1,000 guestrooms and a three-hectare crystalline lagoon bordered by private white sand beaches.

“Our technology makes it possible for people to enjoy a taste of beach life in previously unimaginable places such as the desert or in the heart of major cities; and this has the potential to create new tourism hotspots and bring the leisure lifestyle directly to the market,” said Morgan.

Designed to be self-cleaning, the lagoons only require topping up in response to evaporation and use up to 100 times less chemicals than traditional pool systems, and only two per cent of the energy required by conventional filtering technologies.

The largest real estate event in the Middle East, Cityscape Global 2012 takes place from October 2 to 4 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. – TradeArabia News Service