On July 11th at 1 p.m., (Luanda Time) Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos attended the cornerstone laying ceremony for Angolan National Tourist Resort Project undertaken by CITIC Construction Co., Ltd. in Belas, Luanda, capital of Angola, and laid the first brick to symbolize the launch.
Yuan Shaobin, president of CITIC Construction; Li Zhengquan, chief engineer of CITIC Construction; and Liu Guigen, vice president of CITIC Construction and general manager of Southern Africa Region of CITIC Construction attended the ceremony accompanying President dos Santos.
The project is another Angolan national project undertaken by CITIC Construction after projects such as K.K. Social Housing Project and Agricultural Development Project, as well as another in-depth economic cooperation between CITIC and the Angolan government.
The project is located in Futungo-Belas on the south coast of the capital Luanda. In history, the area was the seat of Angolan government bodies, important Angolan figures, including the Father of Angola, who once worked and lived here for a long time. The Angolan government hopes to undertake this project to conduct modernized preservation and construction of the holy land of culture, Luanda.
With a total planned area of 537 hectares, a total planned population of 50,000 and a planned plot ratio of 30%, the project is scheduled to be constructed in three phases and completed in a decade. With a total area of 158 hectares, Phase I involves the construction of the original historical and cultural zone in the central area of Belas.
An independent national museum will be erected in the center of the Angolan National Tourist Resort, and the former residence and office of the Father of Angola will be renovated, to preserve the precious national cultural heritage of Angola.
In addition to preserving major historical and cultural relics, the project upholds the concept of “nature” and “harmony”, placing great importance on the harmony of man and nature. It is proposed to preserve and extend the existing green land, construct a north-south ecological axis, and construct an array of conference, tourist, leisure and recreational complexes including a tropical ecological park, coastal holiday hotel, top conference center, beach recreational center, modern fitness center, business center and wharf facilities, which will build Belas into a modern large garden community integrating seaside holiday places and business conferences with recreational residences.
The Angola government hopes the resort will become an iconic scenic spot in Luanda and play a model role in promoting the development of Angola’s modern tourism.