Rabid fans of the Star Trek television series and movies, also known as Trekkies, will only have to wait three more years before realizing their stellar Shangri-La, thanks to a brand-new 184 acre resort opening in Jordan in 2014. The product will be a world-class resort and theme park centered around the hugely popular Star Trek franchise first made famous by Gene Roddenberry’s television program of the 1960s. The program developed such a cult-like following, that 40 years later there are people who dress in the costumes, play-act as the characters, and even learn to speak the constructed language of Klingon.
The Aqaba resort will include four hotels and the theme park when it is completed, at a cost of about $1.5 billion. Although a number of Middle Eastern and U.S. investors are involved, the biggest money comes from the King Abdulla II Fund for Development – Jordan’s King Abdullah II has long been an avid Star Trek fan. In order for the resort to be profitable it has to draw nearly 500,000 visitors annually, something investors believe will not be a problem due to the universal appeal of the Star Trek brand. The resort is a developed as a joint venture between Paramount Recreation and kept Rubicon Group Holding. It is licensed by the owner of Star Trek, CBS Consumer Products.
How far the Star Trek theme will be taken remains to be seen. But for now, Trekkies can start making plans to be “beamed up.”