MUMBAI: Developers of Israel’s largest and most exciting tourist initiative, AQUARIA Entertainment City have announced that they expect final approval for the project in 2008. In anticipation of this milestone, New York real estate developer Joseph Bernstein of Americas Partners LLC has been appointed as President of Aquaria Ltd.
 
Bernstein will be primarily responsible for construction of the project and its grand opening in 2012. The 1,300-dunam project includes themed rides and attractions, amphitheaters, night clubs, arcades, museums, a convention center, restaurants, boutiques, a golf club, and a water park.
 
Upon his appointment as President, Bernstein said, “A world class ‘entertainment city’ in Israel will soften the international image of Israel, promote the country as a global leisure destination, and fortify Eilat in its competition with Taba, Sharm-El-Sheikh and Aqaba in Eilat’s strategy to become the ‘Heart of the Red Sea Riviera’. The project will have entertainment for every member of the family, based on popular attractions at Disney World, MGM, EPCOT, and Universal Studios. AQUARIA is intended to spark Eilat and inject more than $1 billion into the Israeli economy by creating thousands of jobs and attracting hundreds of thousands of new vacationers each year.”
 
Bernstein saluted Israeli partner Ran Ronen, “Ran has done an incredible job advancing the project, and I am truly honored to follow Ran’s footsteps in leading the project to construction and grand opening.” A New York partner Stanley Silverstein added, “In the same way he faithfully dedicated his life to the Israeli Air Force and fought for the survival of the State of Israel, Ran has made it his priority over the past six years to fulfill the dream of building an entertainment city in Eilat.”