‘In the future, Saarland will be playing in the premier league when it comes to tourism’. These were the words of Economics Minister Heiko Maas on Saturday to mark the opening of the Bostalsee holiday park, which is expected to attract an additional 600,000 overnight stays per year. According to Maas, Saarland residents will also benefit from the two-year construction project, with around 30 million Euros being passed on to regional businesses.
With the 90-hectare holiday park, the state is sending a further clear message of its structural change. Structural change requires vision, determination and perseverance. The pioneers of the holiday park demonstrated all of these qualities: state-owned SHS Strukturholding Saar, as owner and project manager for the construction of the park centre and infrastructure, ensured that the overall project was professionally run by their own expert teams. This was complemented by fantastic collaboration with project partners Projektgesellschaft Bostalsee, the district of St. Wendel, the municipality of Nohfelden and Center Parcs.
In only two years, the construction period originally planned, on-site SHS teams have completely conquered this complex construction project. Two harsh (and in particular long) winters strongly hampered the progress of works. The fact that the holding company still managed to complete the construction works in their complex entirety is down to the company’s exceptional team of construction specialists: readjustments to compensate for delays brought the project back on schedule.
In terms of costs, the company again stuck to its planned framework, with SHS using just under 80 million Euros, namely 40 million Euros for the park centre and around another 40 million for the infrastructure, garden and landscaping work.
Go swimming, enjoy a chat over a coffee on the lake terrace, take your children to the petting zoo and then one of the playgrounds, drive a buggy, conquer the high ropes course, play mini golf or just laze around on the beach – all this and more is on offer for a fantastic holiday at the Bostalsee holiday park.
Strukturholding Saar has made a major contribution to Saarland as a tourism destination here, since the holiday park will give significant impetus to the further development of tourism in the region. The booking figures speak for themselves: the facility is already fully booked for the first few months, with July at up to 95% capacity. Managing Director Bernd Therre is delighted: ‘the holiday park is indeed a magnificent figurehead for Saarland and will play a crucial role in its promotion as part of its tourism strategy. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all partners and staff involved’. RB
