At approximately 5000 acres, the Marina de Cope near Aguilas in Murcia, Spain is destined to be the largest tourist resort development in Europe.

The declassification of up to 27,000 acres of Spanish coastline has paved the way for this, the ultimate tourist destination - encompassing 22,000 hotel beds, 9,000 residential units, five golf courses and a vast 69 acre marina that can accommodate up to 2,000 boats.

The Marina de Cope also promises two mixed-use town centers, village entertainment district, cultural civic center and a prestige sports complex which, in addition to the five golf courses, will offer tennis, soccer, cricket and polo. Construction will begin in 2007 and is scheduled to be completed by 2022. Upon completion, the Marina de Cope project will bring the largest transformation to the Murcia region in recent times.

The Marina de Cope project happens to coincide with the opening recently of a new dual carriageway, the AP-7 (Autopista del Mediterraneo), hugging the Mediterranean coastline between Cartagena in Murcia and Vera in Almeria.

Also in 2007 the tender was awarded to build Murcia/Costa Calida's new international airport, just 15km south of the city of Murcia in Corvera. This international airport is expected to be operational by 2010 according to the regional President of Murcia, Ramon Luis Valcarcel. And is expected to be used by one and a half million passengers during its first year of operation, although that is expected to triple in the short to mid term

Already, four low-cost airlines which currently operate out of San Javier (Ryanair, Jet2, Easyjet and Air Berlin) will transfer operations over to the new Murcia International Airport in Corvera when it opens in 2010.

There's absolutely no doubt that exciting times are ahead for the Murcia/Costa Calida region of Spain.