A few yars ago, many of us laughed at the thought of the proposed Real Madrid theme park. Now if there was another reason to visit Buenos Aires, well Boca Juniors is giving it to you. The Argentine giants under the management of former club president Mauricio Macri became the pioneers in the concept of merchandising and marketing in South American football. They are now taking it to the next level as they have obviously become the leaders in the booming football tourism industry in South America as well as in the world.
In 2010, the club plans to open the first thematic five-star hotel in the world. Boca Juniors is probably the most widely known Argentine brand internationally. The hotel will be built in the neighborhood of San Telmo, close to the mythical La Bombonera in nearby La Boca. In addition to the hotel the club has tour packages that include visits to the club’s museum and tickets to the Xeneize’s home matches.
Design Suites will invest US$15 million in this project and will be followed through by Grupo Solanas. So start saving up some money to stay at the Diego Maradona penthouse suite.