BUSINESS BRIEFS

Isla Cozumel Announces Grand Opening Of Cozumel Golf & Country Club

From Staff Reports

COZUMEL, Mexico (Nov. 5, 2001) – Isla Cozumel, the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean, announces the official grand opening of the Cozumel Country Club and its 18-hole, 6,734 yard, par 72 golf course designed by Steve Nicklaus of the Nicklaus Design Group. A ribbon cutting ceremony and cocktail reception took place on Oct. 26. Guests included Governor Joaquin Hendricks Diaz and Felix Gonzalez Canto, Mayor of Cozumel.

The championship golf course is managed by Club Corporation International and was constructed by Diamond Golf International. With 250, 000 members and over 200 properties, Club Corporation International ranks as the world's largest owner and operator of golf courses private clubs and resorts.

The greens consist of hybrid Bermuda turf and feature a practice range, putting green and chipping green with a practice bunker. The "palapa style" clubhouse will include a fully stocked Pro Shop with a full line of high-quality rental equipment and merchandise, snack bar and seating for 40 people. The Cozumel Country Club incorporates the natural habitats of the island into its design and construction. Fairways are built around Cozumel's trees, mangroves and wetlands to preserve ecologically sensitive areas.

"We are thrilled to welcome the addition of this world-class golf course and country club," said Gaston Cantarell Diaz, president of the Isla Cozumel Hotel Association and private sector representative for the tourism foundation "In playing the course, our visitors will be in touch with nature, the environment and the ecologically preserved areas that are so special to the island of Cozumel."

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Cozumel Country Club is situated in the heart of Cozumel's Northern hotel zone and is located minutes away from the island's international cruise ship pier, local pier and downtown shopping area.

"We are extremely pleased to have found such a wonderful location to feature one of our signature clubs," said Billy Sitton, Director of Mexico, Club Corporation International. "With the addition of this championship course, Cozumel will surely emerge as a top choice for visitors when they are considering golf vacations in Mexico."

In conjunction with the Cozumel Country Club, Sand Dollar Sports, a local tour operator within Cozumel, will begin offering excursions to cruise passengers arriving into port in Cozumel.

Phase two, scheduled for 2002-2003, will include the development of a golf hotel, commercial area, timeshare condominiums, villas, chapel and multi-family lots. Phase three, to commence in 2003-2004, will include the extension of Sol Meliá's Paradisus Cozumel resort. In 2006, the fourth and final phase is scheduled. Additional timeshare condominiums and multi-family lots will be added.

Named "Cuzamil" by the Maya who inhabited it more than 2,000 years ago, Isla Cozumel or "land of the swallows" is located in the state of Quintana Roo, east of the Yucatan Peninsula. Cozumel, approximately 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, has an international snorkeling and diving reputation with the world's second-largest reef network featuring limestone caves, tunnels and rare black coral. Visit Cozumel on the World Wide Web at www.islacozumel.com.mx.