Uruguay opened the call for a tender to build a 5-star hotel casino in Rocha

The Ministry of Tourism opened a call this Wednesday for all those interested in building a five-star hotel "with international quality" that may also have the license to function as a private casino in Rocha.

The announcement was made during a press conference in which Minister Germán Cardoso and the mayor of the council, Alejo Umpiérrez, participated. "Sometimes crises are opportunities", considered the communal chief.

Cardoso, for his part, indicated that it is a "call of international interest" to build the complex in a space located between the coast of La Paloma al Chuy resort, on the border with Brazil.

"Starting today there will be a 90-day period in which the different commercial, business, economic and interest groups may be presenting themselves to the Ministry of Tourism with the different projects to be carried out in this area of ​​vast kilometers that will be object of study of a technical team that we have put to work here ", expressed the minister.

The chief assured that this is a project that "Rocha has been waiting for many years" and that due to various circumstances "it has been shipwrecked, it has not been possible to carry out."

Cardoso explained that this plan is divided into two stages: the first in which interested private investors are expected to present their projects to the call for expression interest. The second refers to the call for bids, in which investors who were in the first stage or not can participate.

To "compensate" those who have submitted to the first call, the ministry plans to award them five points in favor over the one who has only submitted to the final tender. "But, ultimately, this will end up being resolved" in that call for bids that will take place at the end of the process.

For his part, Umpiérrez indicated that "Rocha does not try to imitate any other tourist destination, but rather to sell its product, the Rocha product with all its profile and identity, but at a high-class level."

Regarding where it could be located, the mayor said: "Whatever it is. People and investors are the wise and they are going to really define the best place for their business."

On the other hand, Umpiérrez indicated that this call was scheduled for September but did not materialize, since they preferred to wait for "the worst of the pandemic to pass, that there would be a vaccination horizon to transmit certainty."