Camilo seeks Chinese investments to complete the controversial Aquarium project.

Ceará 247 - The Acquário Ceará project, one of the most questioned works of Cid Gomes' government, returned to the agenda during Governor Camilo Santana's trip to China. Yesterday (20), Governor Camilo Santana met in Beijing with directors of the Fosun International Limited group, which invests in various areas around the world, mainly in the Tourism segment, and discussed the possibility of a partnership for the completion and operation of the Acquário do Ceará, located on Praia de Iracema, in Fortaleza.

"Our idea is a partnership with the company, which was very interested in investing in this important project, the Aquarium. They have a lot of expertise in tourism facilities, such as resorts and hotels, and they were excited about the possibility of a partnership. It was a very productive meeting, and I left quite enthusiastic," said Camilo Santana, after his third day on an official mission in China.

The next step, according to the governor of Ceará, will be to assemble a working group to study the best way to make the partnership viable. "Now we will study this partnership between the State Government and the company in more depth for the completion and operation of the Aquarium. They already know Ceará and were delighted with the possibilities that our state offers," he said.

Questioned by social movements and opposition parliamentarians, and deemed unnecessary given the state's serious problems, particularly the drought, and considered inaccessible to the population but solely aimed at tourists, the Aquarium project is currently at a standstill. Construction began in 2012, initially budgeted at approximately R$ 300 million. The government claims the project would be another attraction to strengthen tourism, one of the most dynamic sectors of the state's economy.

According to the original project, the total built area of ​​the Ceará Aquarium will be 21.500,00 m². The total water volume of the Ceará Aquarium, including all aquariums, will be 15 million liters. There are 25 aquariums planned: 01 master aquarium, 01 shark aquarium, 01 penguin aquarium, 02 tanks for touching species, and 20 smaller aquariums distributed throughout the exhibition rooms. It is estimated that approximately 500 species will be incorporated into the aquariums, with a total of approximately 35.000 animals, including exotic and native species.