Supplier News
Paraguay – Hard Rock must join tender in Paraguay following Presidential Decree
By Phil - 2 November 2016
The President of the Republic of Paraguay has authorised by decree, the development of a tourism project in a building belonging to the headquarters of Paraguay’s National Ports Authority (ANNP) in Ciudad del Este.
The decree rules that the tender for the construction and operation of a casino and hotel in a building owned by the ANNP will be permitted with the intention of attracting investments in the area and promoting tourism.
While a tender process was not originally envisaged it is still positive news for the planned Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as it is likely that the government will ultimately give the green light to the company which may invest an much as US$70m in building a hotel and casino in Paraguay’s second largest city.
The decree comes after a written request was made by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Paraguay Gustavo Leite along with the consent of the President of the de ANNP, Héctor Duré, the Head of Paraguay’s Gaming Board (CONAJZAR) Javier Balbuena, the Attorney General Roberto Moreno, and the Minister of Tourism Marcela Bacigalupo. The request indicates that the site for the proposed casino at the head of the Friendship Bridge (Puente de la Amistad) an arch bridge connecting the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu and Ciudad del Este is now unfeasible for port operations due to the large amount of traffic in the port, and that a second bridge spanning the Rio Paraná river is now sufficient for the needs of the National Ports Authorities.
Hard Rock International first announced plans to install a casino and hotel in the city of Ciudad del Este in 2014. The hotel will, it is believed, have 250 rooms while the casino will house 500 slot machines and 30 gaming tables. The decision to launch in Paraguay was, according to local press reports, made after a wide sweeping study was carried out by a team of local specialists who provided advice on marketing, strategy as well as financial planning, government oversight and local gaming laws. Ciudad del Este is the second largest city in Paraguay and the capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Rio Paraná.
