The controversial seven-star hotel project in Colombia’s Tayrona National Park is to be revived according to newspaper El Tiempo on Tuesday.
Despite the fact that the project was rejected last October under suspicions that members of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ family may have been involved in the development, the investors have begun advancing the project again.
Tayrona Park is considered to be the gem of Colombia’s Caribbean coast and is of paramount archaeological and ecological importance to the country. The park is inhabited by indigenous tribes living a traditional life, who consider the area to be sacred grounds and that it should not be disturbed.
Former environment minister Frank Pearl said in October that any possibility of the hotel project in Park Tayrona was “dead,” however Six Senses, the company in charge of the project have said that it is currently at the preliminary study and consultation stage.
Six Senses who have hotels in Thailand, Vietnam, Oman and the Maldives, describe their hotels as “sustainable luxury,” and a representative said that the project only involves less than 1% of the area of the national park.
Despite representatives of the company claiming that the development complies with all the standards for environmental protection demanded by the government, the national parks’ director said the project hasn’t been presented to the environment minister as of yet.
A representative for Six Senses added that the project would be “accessible for all Colombians,” however with one night in their Maldives resort costing over $700, accessibility for all seems a little unlikely.