An indoor water park developer has selected a city in Hidalgo as the site of its first park outside the United States and Canada.

Great Wolf Resorts will invest 2.8 billion pesos (US $139.2 million) in its new park in Tepeji del Río, situated 80 kilometers north of Mexico City.

The company owns and operates family resorts that offer restaurants, arcades, spas, fitness centers and children’s activities in addition to a water park.

The Tepeji water park will create close to 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, the company said.

Construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2019 and conclude in the fall of 2021.

Great Wolf Resorts CEO Murray Hennessy explained that the company considered more than 170 countries before deciding on two finalists — Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Hidalgo was chosen for the potential market reach it has in central Mexico, its economic growth potential and particularly because of the attractive terms offered by the state government.

Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayad Meneses observed that one-third of Mexico’s population lives within a 100-kilometer radius of the location of the new water park.

Source: El Universal (sp)